'f^

OF PROMINENT AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

OF THE COUNTY

TOGETHER WITH- PORTRAITS -AND -BIOGRAPHIES-OF-ALL • THE

CHICAGO:

LAKE CITY PUBLISHING CO. ,. ..,;:.;..

1890. '' • ^'''' '-''

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THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

7'34281

ASTOn, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

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HE greatest of English historians, Macaulay, and one of the most brilliant writers.oi
the present century, has said: "The history of a country is best told in a record of the
ives of its people." In conformity with this idea the Portrait and Biographical
Album of this county has been prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and
taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, our
corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by their
''^'" enterprise and industry, brought the county to a rank second to none among those
comprising this great and noble Istate, and from their lips have the story of their life
struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelli-
gent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the
imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by
ndustry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited
advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an
^3^ influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who
> have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have
become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and
records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very
many who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content
to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — "they have done what
they could." It tells how that many in the pride and strength of young manhood left the plow and the
anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's
call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how tlu-ough their efforts the Union was restored and peace
once more reio-ned in the land. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not
be lost upon those who follow after.

Comino- o-enerations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact
that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otlierwise be
inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every oiiporlunity possible
o-iven to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers flatter them-
selves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biograph-
ical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given.

The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this the
publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refused to give the
information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally some member of
the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested
one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though repeated calls were made
at their residence or place of business.

Lake C'itv Publishing Co.
Chicago, November, 1890.

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HE Father of our Country was
l)orn in Westmorland Co., Va.,
Feb. 22, 1732. His parents
were Augustine and Mary
(Ball) Washington. The family
to which he belonged has not
been satisfactorily traced in
England. His great-grand-
father, John Washington, em-
igrated to Virginia about 1657,
and became a prosperous
planter. He had two sons,
Lawrence and John. The
former married Mildred Warner
and had three children, John,
Augustine and Mildred. Augus-
tine, the father of George, first
married Jane Butler, who bore
him four children, two of whom,
Lawrence and Augustine, reached
maturity. Of six children by his
second marriage, George was the
eldest, the others being Betty,
Samuel, John Augustine, Charles
and Mildred.
Augu^jtine Washington, the father of George, died
in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his
eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on
the I'atomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon,
and to George he left the parental residence. George
received only such education as the neighborhood
schools afforded, save for a short time after he left
sch'iul, wiien he received private instruction in
math,;marcs. His spelling v/as rather defective.

Remarkable stories are told of his great ))hysica.
strength and development at an early age. He was
an acknowledged leader among his companions, and
was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair-
ness and veracity which characterized his whole life.

When George was 1 4 years old he had a desire to go to
sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him,
but through the opposition of his mother the idea was
abandoned. Two years later he was appointed
surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. Li
this business he spent three years in a rough frontier
life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very
essential to him. Li 1751, though only 19 years of
age, he was api)ointed adjutant with the rank of
major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for
active service against the French and Indians. Soon"
after this he sailed to the West Lidies with his brother
Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They
soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence
died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter
who did not long survive him. On her demise the
estate of Mount Vernon was given to George.

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddle, as Lieuten-
ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was
reorganized, and the province divided into four mili-
tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to
Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this
a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac-
cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro-
ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North-
western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed
was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand,
and the journey was to be made without military
escort, through a territory occupied by hidians. The

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

\.\\\> was a perilous one, and several limes he came near
luaing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished
a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment
uf 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com-
mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was
L'uinmissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was
then begun against the French and Indians, in which
Washington took a most important part. In the
iiieiuorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad-
djck's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer
of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the
day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock
ivere disabled early in the action, and Washington
alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter
lo his brother he says : "I had four bullets through
my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped
unliurt, though death was leveliu'^ my companions
on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was
not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken
direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit
hull.

After having been five years in the military service,
and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he
look advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the
e.'ci)ulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio,
to resign his commission. Soon after he entered the
Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an
active and important part. January 17, 1759, he
married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy
widow of John Parke Custis.

When the British Parliament had closed the port
if Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces
that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all."
It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con-
gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila-
dclphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties,
peaceably if possilile. To this Congress Col. Wasli-
ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the
Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of
England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con-
cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the
first acts of this Congress was the election of a com-
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and
responsible office was conferred upon Washington,
who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted
it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he
receive no salary. He would keep an exact account
of expenses and expect Congress lo pay them and
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to
trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the
fodunes and liberties of the peoiile of this country
were so long confided. The war was conducted by
him under every possible disadvantage, and while his
forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every
obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion
and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest
nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 17S3, Washington, in
a parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his

commission as commander-in-chief of the army 10
to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He
retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all
connection with public life.

In February, 1789, Washington was unanimously
elected President. In his presidential career he was
subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a iiew
government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part
of other governments ; trials from want of harmony
between the diflerent sections of our own country;
trials from the impoverished condition of the country,
owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the
beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His
clear judgment could discern the golden mean; and
while perhaps this alone kept our government from
sinking at the veiy outset, it left him exposed to
attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and
very annoying.

At the expiration of his first term he was unani-
mously re-elected. At the end of this temi many
were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely
refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March,
1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi-
dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there
his few remaining years free from the annoyances of
public life. Later in the year, however, his repose
seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France.
At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to
take command of the armies. He chose his sub-
ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat-
ters in the field, which he superintended from his
home. In accepting the command he made the
reservation that he was not to be in the field until
it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations
his life was suddenly cut off. December 12, he took
a seveie cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling
in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated
fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh-
teenth his body was borne with military honors to its
final resting place, and interred in the family vault at
Mount Vernon.

Of the character of Washington it is impossible to.
speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad-
miration. The more we see of the operations of
our government, and the more deeply we feel the
difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest,
the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal-
ent and character, which have been able to challenge
the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na-
tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits
of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will
be as lasting as the existence of man.

The person of Washington was unusally tan, erect
and well proportioned. His muscular strength was
great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry.
He commanded respect without any a].pearance of
haughtiness, and ever serious without hein^ dull.

THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

TILD; N FC

■■IWOX

Iw-'-S^

m

y

SECOND PRESIDENT.

■:3

B'P^iC*'*'*"

^^ OHN ADAMS, the second
. President and the first Vice-
President of the United States,
was born in Braintree { now
45, Quincy ),Mass., and about ten
'^ miles from Boston, Oct. 19,
1735. His great-grandfather, Henry
Adams, emigrated from England
about 1640, with a family of eight
sons, and settled at Braintree. The
parents of John were John and
Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His
father was a farmer of limited
means, to which he added the bus-
iness of shoemaking. He gave his
eldest son, John, a classical educa-
tion at Harvard College. John
graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the
school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a
■'sci-.ool of affliction," from which he endeavored to
gain lelief by devoting himself, in addition, to the
study of law. For this purpose he placed himself
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He
had thought seriously of the clerical profession
but seems to have been turned from this by what he
cermed"the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun-
cils, cf diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,"
of the operations of which he had been a witness in
his native town. He was well fitted for the legal
profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being
ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep-
tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in
1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister,
and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his
marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa-
'jon turned him from law to politics. He took initial
jteps toward huldin^ :i town meeting, and the resolu-

^vw^^

tions he offered on the subject became very populat
throughout the Provmce, and were adopted word for
word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos-
ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous
and prominent advocatesof the popular cause, and
was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg-
lislature) in 1770.

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegate.s
from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congrets,
which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himselt
by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad-
vocated the movement for independence against th?
majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved
and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies
should assume the duties of self-government. He
was a prominent member of the committee of ave
appointed June 11, to prepare a declaration of inde-
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but
on Adams devolved the task of batding it tlirough
Congress in a three days debate.

On the day after the Declaration of Independence
was passed, while his soul was yet warm with th^
glow of e.xcited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wile
which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated.
by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the
greatest question was decided that ever was debated
in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or wil
be decided among men. A resolution was passed
without one dissenting colony, ' that these United
States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde-
pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of
July, 1776, will be a memorable ejioch in the history
of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated
by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty
God. It ought to be solemnized with jximp, shows-

24

JOHN ADAMS.

;',aincs, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations
i'loai one end of the continent to the other, from this
lime forward for ever. You will think me transported
with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of
the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to
maintain this declaration, and support and defend
the^^e States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the
ravs of light and glory. I can see that the end is
Worth more than all the means; and that posterity
will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I
hope we sliall not."

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a
delegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin
Franlclin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in
the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms ^nd money
from the French Government. This was a severe trial
to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home,
compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex-
posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis-
ers, wlio were seeking him. He left France June 17,
1779. In September of the same year he was again
ciiosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi-
ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce
with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet
might be found willing to listen to such pioposels. He
sailed for France in November, from there he went to
Hilland, where he negotiated important loans and
Formed important commercial treaties.

Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed
Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement,
toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed
threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con-
tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he
w.is advised to goto England to drink the waters of
B.ith. While in England, still drooping and desjwnd-
ing, he received dispatches from his own government
urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was
delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through
storm, on sea, on horseback and foot, he made the trip.

February 24, 1785- Congress appointed Mr. Adams
envoy to the Court of St. Jaines. Here he met face
to face the King of England, who had so long re-
garded him as a traitor. As England did not
condescend to appoint a minister to the United
States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom-
plishing but little, he sought permission to return to
nis own country, where he arrived in June, 1788.

When Washington was first chosen President, John
Adanis, rendered illustiious by his signal services at
home and abroad, was chosen Vice President, .\gain
at the second election of Washington as President,
Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash-
ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was
elected President, though not without much opposition.
Serving in this office four years, he was succeeded by
Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics.

T/hile Mr. Adams was Vice President the great

French Revolution shook the continent of Europe,
and it was upon this point which he was at issue with
the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson.
Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French peoi)le
in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their
power of seff-government, and he utterly abhored the
class of atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it.
On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly
enlisted in behalf of the French people. _ Hence or-
iginated the alienation between these distinguished
men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ-
ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies
were with England and Jefferson led the other in
sympathy with France.

The worid has seldom seen a spectacle of more
mor,al beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the
old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling
had died away, and he had begun to receive that just
appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till
after death. No one could look upon his venerable
form, and think of what he had done and suffered,
and how he had given up all the prime and strength
of Ins life to the public good, without the deepest,
emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar
good fortune to witness the complete success of the
institution which he had been so active in creating and
supporting. In 1824, his cup of happiness was filled
to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest
station in the gift of the people.

The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the lialf
century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the
signers of that immortal instrument left upon the
earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is
well known, on that day two of these finished their
earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as
to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr.
Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning
of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from
his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the
customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In-
dependence FOREVER." When the day was ushered
in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons,
he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew
what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor-
ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all."
In the course of the day he said, "It is a great and
glorious day." The last words he uttered were,
"Jefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re-
signed his spirit into the hands of his God.

The personal appearance and manners of Mr.
Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face,
as his portrait manifests,was intellectual ard expres-
sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his
manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous.
He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor
the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked
the manners and address of Tefferson.

THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY

A?-o«, ■ ■ .,,.^

>t77Z^

THIRD PRESIDENT.

z?

■^.-i ■'ifer®-. ...•^*.^. -m^-. . >^^,>t<i<i. i-J'-'v ' '.& © ra s 521, ®

HOMAS JEFFERSON was
(§ born April 2, 1743, at Shad-
: Jpwell, Albermarle county, Va.
His parents were Peter and
Jane ( Randolph) Jefferson,
the former a native of Wales,
and the latter born in Lon-
don. To them were born six
daughters and two sons, of
whom Thomas was the elder.
When 14 years of age his
father died. He received a
most liberal education, hav-
been kept diligently at school
from the time he was five years of
age. In 1760 he entered William
end Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat
of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion
and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17
years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine
horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he
was earnestly devoted to his studies, and'irreproacha-
able in his morals. It is strange, however, under
such influences, that he was not ruined. In the sec-
ond year of his college course, moved by some un-
explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses,
society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had
previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen
hours a day to hard study, allowing himself for ex-
ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out
of the city and back again. He thus attained very
high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso-
phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and
Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished
scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls; and

there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a
more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man.

Immediately upon leaving college he began the
study of law. For the short time he continued in the
practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distin-
guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a
lawyer. But the times called for greater action.
The policy of England had awakened the spirit of
resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged
views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led
him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen
a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In
1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti-
ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow
Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, there
was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which
commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and
beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new
home; and here he reared a mansion of modest ye'
elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon
became the most distinguished resort in our land.

In 177s he was sent to the Colonial Congress
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he
was placed upon a number of important committees,
and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw-
ing up of a declaration of independence. This com-
mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R.
Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed
to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested
a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con-
gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made
in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July
4, 1776, What must have been the feelings of that

28

THOMAS JEFFERSON.

man — what the emotions that swelled his breast —
who was charged with the preparation of that Dec-
laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of
America, was also to publish her to the world, free,
Boverign and independent. It is one of the most re-
markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort
of tlie mind of its author exist, that alone would be
sufficient to stamp his name with immortality.

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to
■ Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time
the British ofiicer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to
Monlicello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five
minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef-
ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses-
sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never
very good, was much injured by this e.xcitement, and
in the summer of 1782 she died.

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783.
Two years later he was appointed Minister Plenipo-
tentiary to France. Returning to the United States
in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State
in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned
Jan. J, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi-
* dent, and four years later.was elected President over
Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In
1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity,
and George Clinton, Vice President.

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra-
tion was disturbed by an event which threatened the
tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con-
spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election
to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled
ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a
military expedition into the Spanish territories on our
southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming tliere
a new republic. This has been generally supposed
was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been
generally known what his real plans were, there is no
doubt that they were of a far more dangerous
character.

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for
which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined
to retire froni political life. For a period of nearly
:brty years, he had been cpntinually before the pub-
lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of
the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de-
voted the best part of his life to the service of his
country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his
declining years required, and upon the organization of
the new administration, in March, 1809, he bid fare-
well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello.

Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole
families came in their coaches with their horses, —
fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and
nurses, — and remained three and even six months.
Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a
fashionable watering-place.

The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver-

sary of the Declaration of American Independence.
great preparations were made in every part of thf
Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and
the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity
of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer,
and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara-
tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill-
ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and
had been continually increasing, compelled him to
decline the invitation.

On the second of July, the disease under which
he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced
state that his medical attendants, entertained nc
hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly
sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the ne.x*;
diiy, which was Monday, he asked of those around
liim, the day of the month, and on being told it was
the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish tha.
he might be permitted to breathe the airof the fifiieih
anniversary. His prayer was heard — that day, whose
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land,
burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for-
ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble
life! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- -
the day which his own name and his own act had
rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and
festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him,
as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings,
was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life.

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin-
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear
him company, left the scene of his earthly honors.
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of
freedom; hand in hand, during the dark and desper-
ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and
animated their desponding countrymen; for half a
century they had labored together for tne good of
the country; and now hand in hand they depart.
In their lives they had been united in the same great
cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not
divided.

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes
were light, his hair originally red, in after life became
white and silvery ; his complexion was fair, his fore
head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and
thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as
well as personal courage; and his command of tem-
per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends
never recollected to have seen him in a passion.
His manners, though dignified, were simple and un-
affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that
all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver-
sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic ; and
his language was remarkably pure and correct. He
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is
discernable the care with which he formed his style
upon the best models of antiquity.

/ YORK

..BKARTi

AS^OR. LENOX
TILDt N FOU'^OATJONa

J- (Z/OL^-^^ -eyCC

ttA.M'^l ^-•'S.

FOURTH FRKSIDENT.

31

g^riQES npDisoi].

AMES MADISON, "Father
of the Constitution," and fourth
'■' President of the United States,
was born March 16, 1757, and
died at his home in Virginia,
June 2S, 1836. The name of
James Madison is inseparably con-
nected with most of the important
events in that, heroic period of our
country during which the founda-
tions of this great repubhc were
laid. He was the last of the founders
of the Constitution of the United
States to Ije called to his eternal
reward.

The Madison family were among
the early emigrants to the New World,
landing upon the shores of the Chesa-
])eake but 15 years after the settle-
ment of Jamestown. The father of
James Madison was an opulent
planter, residing upon a very fine es-
tate called "Montpelier," Orange Co.,
Va. The mansion was situated in
the midst of scenery highly pictur-
esque and romantic, on the west side
of South-west Mountain, at the foot of
Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of
Jefferson at Monticello. The closest personal and
political attachment existed between these illustrious
men, from their early youth until death.

The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted
mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of
18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey.
Here he applied himself to study with the most im-

prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three
hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so
seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor
of constitution. He graduated in 1771, with a feeble
body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a
mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning
which embellished and gave proficiency to his subsf '
(pient career.

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of
law and a course of extensive and systematic reading.
This educational course, the spirit of the times in
which he lived, and the society with which he asso-
ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong
love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of
a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of
mind, and his frail health leading him to think that
his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten-
tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mmd
singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with
almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed
all the arguments for and against revealed religion,
until his faith became so established as never to
be shaken.

In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he
was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to
frame the constitution of the State. The next year
(1777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly.
He refused to treat the whisky-loving voters, and
conseqijently lost his election ; but those who had
witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the
modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf,
and he was appointed to the Executive Council.

Both Patrick Henry and Thoinas Jefferson were
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained
member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his

32

JAMES MADISON.

intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not
a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year
1780, he was elected a member of the Continental
Congress. Here he met the most illustrious men in
our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of
the most conspicuous positions among them.

For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con-
gress, one of its most active and influential members.
In the year 17S4, his term having e.xpired, he was
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature.

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no na-
tional government, with no power to form treaties
which would be binding, or to enforce law. There
was not any .State more prominent than Virginia in
the declaration, that an efficient national government
must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison
carried a resolution through the General AssemWy of
Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis-
sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss
this subject. Five States only were represented. The
convention, however, issued another call, drawn up
by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their
delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft
a Constitudon for the United States, to take the place
of that Confederate League. The delegates met at
the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island
was represented. George Washington was chosen
president of the convention; and the present Consti-
tution of the United States was then and there formed.
There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac-
tive in framing this immortal document than the mind
and the pen of James Madison.

Tiie Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was
to be presented to the several States for acceptance.
But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected
we should be left but a conglomeration of independent
States, with but little power at home and little respect
abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by the conven-
tion to draw up an address to the people of the United
States, expounding the principles of the Constitution,
and urging its adoption. There was great opposition
to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and
went into effect in 1789.

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre-
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the
avowed leader of the Republican partv. While in
New York attending Congress, he met Mrs, Todd, a
young widow of remarkable power of fascination,
whom he married. She was in person and character
queenly, and probably no lady has thus far occupied
so prominent a position in the very peculiar society
which has constituted our republican court as Mrs.
Midison.

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration
was chosen President. At this time the encroach-
ments of England had brought us to the verge of war.

British orders in council destioyed our commerce, and
our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison
was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring
in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the
meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood
boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought
to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser.
A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the
crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal-
ance he selects any number whom he may please to
designate as British subjects ; orders them down the
ship's side into his boat; and places them on the gun-
deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the
battles of England. This right of search and im-
pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce
the British cabinet to relinquish.

On the iSth of June, 1812, President Madison gave
his approval to an act of Congress declaring war
against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter
hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country
in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th
of March, 18 13, was re-elected by a large majority,
and entered upon his second term of office. This is
not the place to describe the various adventures of
this war on the land and on the water. Our infan.
navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap-
pling with the most formidable power which ever
swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest
by the appearance of a British fleet, early in Februaiy,
1813, in Cliesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole
coast of the United States under blockade.

The Emperor of Russia offered his services as nie
ditator. America accepted; England refused. A Brit-
ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks
of tlie Patu.xet River, near its entrance into Chesa-
peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens-
burg, upon Washington.

The straggling little city of Washington was thrown
into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict
at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the
metropolis. The wliole population fled from the city.
The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the White
House, with her carriage drawn up at the doer to
await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers
in a council of war. He met our troops utterly routed,
and he could not go back without danger of bei^g
captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential
Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in
Washington were in flames.

The war closed after two years of fighting, and on
Feb. 13, i8i5,the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent.

On the 4th of March, 1817, his second term of
office expired, and he resigned the Presidential chair
to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau-
tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re-
mainder of his days. On June 28, 1S36, then at the
age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi-
son died July 12, 1849.

THE NEW Y-ORK
PUBLIC LlBRARlf

foil DAT10N8

.i^s^^m^^

'i v'

7

-?-t^^^

FIFTH PRESIDENT.

35

prr^Es njoi]]^OE. ^mm

ah-:-

AMES MONROE, the fifth
.President of The United States,
was born in Westmoreland Co.,
Va., April 28, 1758. His early
life was passed at the place ol
nativity. His ancestors had for
many years resided in the prov-
ince in which he was l>orn. ^Vhe^,
;, at 17 years of age, in the process
I \'' of completing his education at
William and Mary College, the Co-
lonial Congress assembled at Thila-
delphia to deliberate upon the un-
just and manifold oppressions of
(Ireat Britian, declared the separa-
tion of the Colonies, and promul-
gated the Declaration of Indejien-
dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly
probable that he would have been one of the signers
of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left
school and enlisted among the patriots.

He joined the army when everything looked liope-
less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased
from day to day. The invading armies came pouring
in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the
mother country, but disheartened the new recruits,
who were sufrtciently terrified at the prospect of con-
tending with an enemy whom they had been tauglU
to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James
Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through
difficulty and danger, the United States owe their
political emancipation. The young cadet joined the
ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country,
with a firm determination to live or die with her strife

for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel-
ancholy retreat from Harleam HciglUs and White
Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it flee'
before its foes througli New Jersey. In four months-
after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots
had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of
Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg-
ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left
shoulder.

As a reward for his l)ravery, Mr. Monroe was pro-
moted a captain of infantry ; and, having recovered
from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however,
receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an
officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam-
paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued
aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his
position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a
regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed
owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon
this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at
that period Governor, and jjursued, with considerable
ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however,
entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag;
but on the invasions of the enemy, served as avolun
teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits.

In 17S2, he was elected from King George county,
a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that
body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive
Council. He was thus honored with the confidence
of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having
at this early period displayed some of that ability
and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards
employed with unremitting energy for the public good,

36

JAMES MONROE.

he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of
the Congress of the United States.

Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of the old
Confederacy, he was opposed to tlie new Constitution,
'.hinking, with many others of *he Reiiublican parly,
diat it gave too much power to the Central Government,
and not enough to the individual States. Still he re-
tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm
supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition
secured its adoption. In 1789, he becanre a member
of the United States Senate; which office he held for
four years. Every month the line of distinction be-
tween the two great parties which divided the nation,
the Federal and the Republican, was growing more
distinct. The two prominent iaeas which now sep-
arated them were, that the Repuljlican party was in
sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a
strict construction of the Constitution as to give the
Central Government as little power, and the State
Governments as much power, as the Constitution wotild
warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England,
and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con-
stitution, which would give as much power to the
Central Government as that document could possibly
authorize.

The leading Federalists and Republicans were
alike noble men, consecrating all thetr energies to the
good of the nation. Two more honest men or more
pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and
James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In
building u|3 this majestic nation, which is destined
to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the com-
bination of their antagonism was needed to create the
light equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de-
nounced as almost a demon.

Washington was then President. England had es-
poused the cause of the Bourbons against the princi-
ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn
into the conflict. We were feeble and far away.
Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be-
tween these contending powers. France had helped
us in the struggle for our lil)erties. All the despotisms
of Europe were now combined to prevent the French
from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse
than that which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more
magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at
whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in
their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous
and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres-
ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in
magnanimity.

Washington, who could appreciate such a character,
developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness,
by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de-
nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister
of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr.
Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention
in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations.

Shortly after his return to this countrv, Mr. Mon-
roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the
office for three yeais. He was again sent to I ranee to
co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining
the vast territory then known as the Province of
Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob-
tained from Spain. Tneir united efforts were sue-
cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen
millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and
district of Louisiana were added to the United States.
This was probably the largest transfer of real estate
which was ever made in all the history of the world.

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob-
tain from that country some recognition of our
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those
odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng-
land was unrelenting. He again returned to Eng-
land on the same mission, but could receive no
redress. He returned to his home and was again
chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned
to accept the position of Secretary of State under
Madison. While in this office war with England was
declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during
these trying times, the duties of the War Department
were also put upon him. He was truly the armor-
bearer of President Madison, and the most efficient
business man in his cabinet. LTpon the return oi
peace he resigned the Department of War, but con-
tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the ex-
piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec
tion held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself had
been chosen President with but little opposition, and
upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four year?
later he was elected for a second term.

Among the important measures of his Presidency
were the cession of Florida to the United States ; the
Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.''

This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe
doctrine," was enunciated by him in 1823. At that
tin.ie the United States had recognized the independ-
ence of the South American states, and did not wish
to have European powers longer attempting to sub-
due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine
is as follows: "That we should consider any attempt
on the part of European powers to extend their sys-
tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous
to our peace and safety," and "that we could not
view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing
or controlling American governments or provinces in
any other light than as a manifestation by European
powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United
Stntes." This doctrine immediately affected the course
of foreign governments, and has become the approved
sentiment of the United States.

At the end of liis fecond term Mr Monroe retired
to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830,
when he went to New York to live with his son-in-
law. In that city he died, on the ,4th of July, 1831

J, 5, Ai

cuyy\j

SIXTH PRESIDENT.

39

«r-<<

•S!

,.,^

•■ ?'-sfg«s»$;;5r>i*S;g-^^;i;$*$^i;$«s^;;S >!•

305I] QU11^6Y ^D^llQS.

)HN QUINCY ADAMS, the
% sixth President of the United
^<* States, was born in the rural
home of his honored father.
John Adams, in Quincy, Mass.,
^, . ^J?, on the I ith cf July, 1767. His
„, ; '/ mother, a woman of exalted
'"" ■' <9 worth, watched over his childhootl
during the almost constant ab-
sence of his father. When but
eight years of age, he stood with
his mother on an eminence, listen-
ing to the booming of the great bat-
tle on Bunker's Hill, and gazing on
upon the smoke and flames billow-
ing up from the conflagration of
Charlestown.

When but eleven years old he
took a tearful adieu of his mother,
to sail with his fattier for Europe,
through a fleet ot hostile British cruisers. The bright,
animated boy spent a year and a half in Paiis, where
his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as
minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted
the notice of these distinguished men, and he received
from them flattering marks of attention.

Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again
I'ol.n Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he
applied himself with great diligence, for six months,
to jUidy; then accompained his father to Holland,
where lie entered, first a school in .Amsterdam, then
the University at Leyden. jAbout a year from this
time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fourteen
yea's of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min-
ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary.

In this school of incessant labor and of enobling
culture he silent fourteen months, and then returned
to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and
Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the
winter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed
his studies, under a private tutor, at Hague. Thence,

in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father tc
Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance
with the most distinguished men on the Continent
examining arcliitectural remains, galleries of paintings
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again
became associated with the most illustrious men of
all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal
themes which can engross the human mind. After
a short visit to England he returned to Paris, and
consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785,
when he returned to America. To a brilliant young
man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world,
and who was familiar with the etiquette of courts, a
residence with his father in London, under such cir-
cumstances, must have been extremely attractive
but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre-
ferred to return to America to complete his education
in an American college. He wished then to study
law, that with an honorable profession, he might be
able to obtain an independent support.

Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty,
he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be-
ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap-
pointed by Washington, resident minister at the
Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached
London in October, where he was immediately admit-
ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney,
assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with
Great Brilian. After thus spending a fortnight ir,
London, he proceeded to the Hague.

In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as
minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal
upon arriving in London, he met with despatches
directing him to the court of Beiiin, but requesting
him to remain in London until he sliould receive his
instructions. ^^"hile waiting he was married to a-
American lady to whom he had been previously en-
gaged,— Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter
of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London;
a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom-
plishment which eminently fitted her to move in tiii
elevated sphere for which she wp-s destined-

to

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ;
where he remained until July, 1799, when, havingful-
filled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his
recall.

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to
Ihe Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then
was elected Senator of the United States for six years,
from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his
ability and his experience, placed him immediately
among the most prominent and influential members
of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern-
ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach-
ments of England, destroying our commerce and in-
sulting our flag. There was no man in America more
familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon
these points, and no one more resolved to present
a firm resistance.

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres-
idential chair, and he immediately nominated John
Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign-
ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked
at Boston, in August, 1S09.

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu-
dent. He devoted his attention to the language and
history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the
European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to
the climate and astronomical observations ; while he
kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and
Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a
more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found.
All through life the Bible constituted an important
part of his studies. It was his rule to read five
chapters every day.

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the
Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr.
Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num-
erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he
sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the
18th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his
home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon-
roe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary
of State.

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second
term of office, new candidates began to be presented
for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought
forward his name. It was an exciting campaign.
Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and
sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re-
ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four;
William H. Crawford, forty-one; Henry Clay, thirty-
seven. As there was no choice by the people, the
question went to the House of Representatives. Mr.
Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and
he was elected.

The friends of all the disappointed candidates now
combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon
Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in
*i>.s P-a.at history of our country than the abuse which

was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this
high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was
an administration more pure in principles, more con-
scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun-
try, than tliat of John Quincy Adams; and never, per-
haps, was there an admini>.tration more unscrupu-
lously and outrageously assailed.

Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab-
stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising
early, and taking much exercise. When at his home in
Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast,
seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said
that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his
own fire and applying himself to work in his library
often long before dawn.

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew-
Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi-
dent. The slavery question now began to assume
jxirlentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to
Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un-
abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re-
main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was
elected representative to Congress. For seventeen
years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre-
sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to
do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of
"the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in
the House, he announced that he should hold him-
self bound to no party. Probably there never was a
member more devoted to his duties. He was usually
the first in his place in the morning, and the last to
leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could
be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The
battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against
ihe proslavery party in the Government, was sublime
in Its moral daring and heroism. For persisting in
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he
was threatened with indictment by the grand jury,
with expulsion from the House, with assassination:
but no threats could intimidate him, and his final
triumph was complete.

It has been said of President Adams, that when his
body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of
fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little
child, he was accustomed to repeat everv night, before
he slept, the prajer which his mother taught him in
his infant years.

On the 2ist of February, 1848, he rose on the floor
of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the
speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly-
sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him.
For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to
the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious-
ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and
said " This is the end of earth ;"then after a moment's
pause he addid, " I am cnnteiit" These were the
last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent."

THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY

SEVENTH PRESIDENT.

^»

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■"""^'^^W

NDREW JACKSON, the
seventh President of the
'United States, was born in
Waxhaw settlement, N. C,
March 15, 1767, a few days
after his father's death. His
parents were poor emigrants
from Ireland, and took up
their abode in Waxhaw set-
tlement, where they lived in
deepest poverty.
Andrew, or Andy, as he was
universally called, grew up a very
rough, rude, turbulent Ijoy. His
features were coarse, his form un-
gainly; and there was but very
little in his character, made visible, which was at-
tractive.

When only thirteen years old he joined the volun-
teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In
17 81, he and his brother Robert were captured and
imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer
ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am
a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of
the dauntless boy.

The brute drew his sword, and aimed a des|)erate
dIow at the head of the helpless young prisoner.
Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear-
ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other upon the
head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert
with the same demand. He also refused, and re-
ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which ijuite
disabled him, and which probably soon after caused
his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and
were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their
mother was successful, 'p <i'olaining their exchanije.

and took her sick boys home. After a long illnosE
.\ndrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon
left him entirely friendless.

Andrew supported himself in various ways,s irh as
working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and
clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he
entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however,
gave more attention to the wild amusements of the
times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed
solicitcr for the western district of North Carolina, of
which Tennessee was then a part. This involved
many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of
every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear,
and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish
witn the Sharp Knife.

In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who
supposed herself divorced from her former husband.
Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later,
to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been
definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage
ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur-
rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr,
Jackson into disfavor.

Daring these years he worked hard at his profes-
sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand,
one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec-
ially disgraceful.

In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then
containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the
people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con-
stitution. Five were sent from each of the elevan
counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates.
The new State was entitled to but one member in.
the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack-'
son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he
rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then lield its

44

ANDRE IV JACKSON.

sassiaas, — a dislance of about eight hLindred miles.

Jackson was an earnest advocate of tlie Demo-
cratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired
Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr.
Jackson took his seat, Gjn. Washington, whose
second term of office was then expiring, delivered his
last s[)eech to Congress. A committee drew up a
complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson
did not approve of the address, and was one of the
twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to
say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been
" wise, firm and patriotic."

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home.
Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court
of his State, which position he held for si.x years.

When the war of 1812 with Great Britian com-
menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair.
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was
an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who
would do credit to a commission if one were con-
ferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson
offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops
were assembled at Nashville.

As the British were hourly expected to make an at-
tack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was
in command, he was ordered to descend the river
with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The
expedition reached Natchez; and after a delay of sev-
eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything,
the men were ordered Ijack to their homes. But the
energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire
devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him
golden opinions; and he became the most popular
man in the State. It was in this expedition that his
toughness gave him the nickname of " Old Hickory."

Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col.
Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman
made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in
which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged,
he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was
lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the
Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from
Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set-
tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De-
cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with
his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in
a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis-
tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama.

The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on
one of the bendsof the Tallapoosa River, near the cen-
ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother.
With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson
traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven
days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or
Horse-shoe, on the 27th of Marcli. 1814. The bend

of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of
tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow
neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast-
work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors,
with an ample suplyof arms were assembled.

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des-
perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When
bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en-
deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn-
ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was
awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the
river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as
they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war-
rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam
the river and escaped. This ended the war. The
power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold
plunge into the wilderness, with its terriffic slaughter,
so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants
of the bands came to the camp, begging for peace.

This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con-
centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the
allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will
than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian
campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he
was appointed major-general.

Late in August, with an army of two thousand
men, on a rushing march. Gen. Jackson came to
Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed
a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort,
and from both ship and shore commenced a furious
assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length
one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired.

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little
army, he moved his troops to New Orleans,
And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued,
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won
for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his
troops, which numbered about four thousand men,
won a signal victory over the British array of about
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the
loss of the British was two thousand six hundred.

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men-
tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824,
he was defeated by IMr. Adams. He was, however,
successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected
for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he
assumed the reins of the government, he met with
the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of
his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has
perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of
her death he never recovered.

His administration was one of the most memorable
in the annals of our country; applauded by one party,
condemned by the other. No man had more bitter
enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his
two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where
he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack-
son's life were that of a devoted Christian man.

THE NEW YORK
'JDLICLIBRARYI

ASTOR. LENOX

TILD N FOU"0AT|ON8

^ > /^ZfC^ ^C^J^ U<^^^,^,^

EIGHTH PRESIDENT.

47

'^^^/sj:^-\®m^>^^-^-^^^\®^^^J^^^:f^'^^

\| ARTIN VAN BUREN, the

#) eighth President of the

■:^' United States, was born at

Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5,

17S2. He died at the same
place, July 24, 1862. His
body rests in the cemetery
at Kinderhook. Above it is
a plain granite shaft fifteen feet
high, bearing a simple inscription
about half way up on one face.
The lot is unfenced, unbordeved
or unbounded by shrub or flower.

Tliere is but little in the life of Martin Van Burea
of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged
ill no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in
political and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many
signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those
incidents which give zest to biography. His an-
cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin,
and were among tlie earliest emigrants from Holland
to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer,
residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother,
also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel-
ligence and exemplary piety.

,fe was decidedly a precocious boy, developing un-
usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the
age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies
in his native village, and commenced the study of
law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven
years of study in a law-office were rec|uired of him
before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with
J. lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pur-
sued his studies with indefatigable industry. After
spending si.^: years in an office in Hj native village,

he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his
studies for the seventh year.

In 1803, i\Ir. Van Burea, then twenty-one years of
age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil-
lage. The great conflict between the Federal and
Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van
Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had,
perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the
many discussions which had been carried on in his
father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with
Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the
cause of State Rights ; though at that time the Fed-
eral party held the supremacy both in his town
and State.

His success and increasing ruputation led him
after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, th,;
county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years
constantly gaining strength by contending in tht-
courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned
the bar of his State.

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mi.
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short
years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump-
tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep ovei
her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was
an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record
of those years is barren in items of public interest.
In t8i2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to
the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to
Mr. Madison's adminstration. In iSij, he was ap-
pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved
to A.lbany, the capital of the State.

While he was acknowledged as one of the most
prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had

4*

MAKTJN VAJS" JiVKHt^.

the moral courage to qvow that true democracy did
not require that " universal suffrage" which admits
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of
governing the State. In true consistency with his
democratic principles, he contended that, while the
path leading to the privilege of voting should be open
to every man without distinction, no one should be
invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue
and some property interests in the welfare of the
State.

In 182 I he was elected a member of the United
States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat
in the convention to revise the constitution of his
native State. His course in this convention secured
the approval of men of all parties. No one could
doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the
interests of all classes in the community. In the
Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a
conspicuous position as an active and useful legislator.

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to
ihe Senate. He had been from the beginning a de-'
.•ermined opposer of tlie Administration, adopting the
'State Rights " view in opposition to what was
deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams.

Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governorof
the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his
seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United
States contributed so much towards ejecting John O.
Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it
Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether
entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re-
garded throughout the United States as one of the
most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians.
It was supposed that no one knew so well as he how
;o touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all
;he wires to put his machinery in motion; and how to
organize a political army which would, secretly and
Ete.^Uhily accomplish the most gigantic results. By
these powers it is said that he outv,'itted Mr. Adams,
Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which
few thought then could be accomplished.

When Andrew Jackson was elected President he
ai)pointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This
position he resigned in 1831, and was immediately
appointed Minister to England, where he went the
same autumn. The Senate, however, wlien it met,
refused to ratify the nomination, iind he returned

home, apparently untroubled; was nominated Vice
President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election
of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all and
fiowns for none, he took his place at the head of that
Senate which had refused to confirm his nomination
as ambassador.

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of
President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor-
ite ; and this, probably mure than any other cause,
secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execu
tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re-
ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen.
Jackson as President of the United States. He was
elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the
retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the
canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van
Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen.
Jackson as though the Constitution had conferred
upon him the power to appoint a successor."

His administration was filled with exciting events-
The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in
volve this country in war with England, the agitation
of the slavery question, and finally the great commer-
cial panic which sijread over the country, all were
trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at-
tributed to the management of the Democratic party,
and brought the President into such disfavor tliat he
failed of re-election.

With the exception of being nominated for the
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 1848,
Mr. Van Buren lived (juietly upon his estate until
his death.

He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits,
and living within his income, had now fortunately a
competence for his declining years. His unblemished
character, his commanding abilities, his unqueslioned
]5atriotism, and the distinguislied [lositions which he
had occuijied in the government of our country, se-
cured to him not only the homage of his party, but
the respect ot the whole community. It was on the
4th of March, 184 1, that Mr. Van Buren retired from
tire presidency. From hi,s fine estate at Lindenwald,
he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics
of the country. From this time until his death, on
the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, he
resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, cf
culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old
age, probably far more happiness than he had before
experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life.

THE NEW YORK
|PUBL1CL1BRAR'Y|

f^^^O".

/o^. M-)9e<yiA^

T-L^

NINTH PRESIDENT.

S'

Wl^iMM ffim MIllMiE

ILLIAM HENRY HARRI-
SON, the iiiiUh President of
tlie United Slates, was born
at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773.
His father, Benjamin Harri-
son, was in com[)aratively op-
ulent circumstances, and was
one of the most distinguished
men of his day. He was an
intimate friend of George
Washington, was early elected
a member of the Continental
Congress, and was conspicuous
among the patriots of Virginia in
resisting the encroachments of the
British crown. In the celebrated
Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har-
rison and John Hancock were
both candidates for the office of
s [leaker.

Mr Harrison was subsequently
chosen Governor of Virginia, and
was twice re-elected. His son,
William Henry, of course enjoyed
in childhood all the advantages which wealth and
intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav-
ing received a tliorough comn.on-school education, he
entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated
witli honor soon after the death of his father. He
i^hen repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under
the'instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of
lObert Morris, both of whom were, with his father,
■signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Jpon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not-
withstanding the 'emonstTances of his friends, he
0 hardened his medical studies and entered the army,
■laving obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi-

dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old.
From that time he passed gradually upward in rank
until lie became aid to General Wayne, after whose
death he resigned his commission. He was then ap-
pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This
Territory was then entitled to but one member in
Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that
position.

In the spring of 1 800 the North-western Territory
was divided by Congress into two portions. The
eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced
in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory
north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which
included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and
Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." VVil .
liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was a]>
pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana
Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as
extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He
was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in-
vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now
rapidly increasing white population. The ability and
fidelity with wliich he discharged these resiionsible
duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four
times appointed to this office — first by John Adams,
twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi-
dent Madison.

When he began his adminstration there were but
three white settlements in that almost boundless region,
now crowded with cities and resounding with all the
tumult of wealth and traffic. Oneof these settlements
was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French
settlement.

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrisoi.
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. Abou'

52

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.

the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers,
of the Shawnese tribe, rose arnong them. Oiie of
these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching
Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet."
Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man
of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit-
able perseverance in any enterprise m which he might
engage. He was inspired with the Irighest enthusiasm,
and had long regarded with dread and with hatred
the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting-
grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was
anorator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored
Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which
tliey dwelt.

But tlie Prophet was not merely anorator: he was,
in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested
with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a
magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter
the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went
from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent
by the Great Spirit.

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate
the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe-
canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter.
October 28, 1812, his army began its march. When
near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made
their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harriaon was
approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a
short conference, arrangements were made for a meet-
ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace.

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with
the Indian character to be deceived by such protes-
tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en-
campment, he took every precaution against surprise
His troops were jxisted in a hollow square, and slept
upon their arms.

The troops threw themselves upon the ground for
rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his
loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in
the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa-
tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It
was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In
the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi-
ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all
the desperation which superstition and passion most
highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the
little army. The savages had been amply provided
with guns and ammunition by the English. Their
war-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets.

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the
light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide-
Dus yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a
speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's
troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them
until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous
charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be-
fore them, and completely routing the foe.

Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked
to the utmost. The British descending from theCan-
adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but
with their savage allies, rusliing like wolves from the
forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn-
ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier
was plunged into a state of consternation which even
the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive.
The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the
forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra-
tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made
the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit.
Under these despairing circumstances. Gov. Harrison
was appointed by President Madison commander-in-
chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake
Detroit, and to protect the frontiers.

It would be difficult to place a man in a situation
demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but
General Harrison was found equal to the position,
and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re-
sponsibilities.

He won the love of his soldiers by always sharinp
with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while
pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in a
valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket
lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British officers,
his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle.
The only fare he could give thein was beef roasted
before the fire, without bread or salt.

In 18 16, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member oi
the National House of Representatives, to represent
the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an
active member; and whenever he s|)oke, it was with
force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested
the attention of all the members.

In iSig, Harrison was elected to the Senate of
Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors
of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The
same year he was chosen to the United States'Senate.

In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him
forward as a candidate for the Presidency against
Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of
Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nominated by his
party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated
by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency.
The contest was very animated. Gen. Jackson gave
all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but
his triumph was signal.

The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster
at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most
brilliant with which any President had ever been
surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin-
istration^more flattering, or the hopes of the country
more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and
joyous prospects. Gen. Harrison was seized by a
pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sick-
ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after
his inauguration as President of the United States.

THE NEW YORK
PHRUC LIBRARY

'"VTL

TENTH PRESIDENT.

55

TYLER, the tenth

^1 OHN

],,> Presidentof the United States.
He was born in Charles-city
Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He
was the favored child of af-
fluence and high social po-
sition. At the early age of
twelve, John entered William
and Mary College and grad-
uated with much honor when
but seventeen years old. After
graduating, he devoted him-
self with great assiduity to the
study of law, partly with his
father and partly with Edmund
Randolph, one of the most distin-
guished lawyers of Virginia.

At nineteen years of age, ne
commenced the practice of law.
His success was rapid and aston-
ishing. It is said that three
mouths had not elapsed ere there
was scarcely a case on the dock-
et of the court in which he was
not retained, ^^'hen but twenty-one vears of age, he
was almost unanimously e'ected to a seat in the State
Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo-
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of
Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he
was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the
unanimous vote or his county.

When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected
a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and
ably with the Democratic party, opposing a national
bank, internal improvements by the General Govern-

ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict con-
struction of the Constitution, and the most careful
vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress
were so arduous that before the close of his second
term h; found it necessary to resign and retire to liis
estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He,
however, soon after consented to take his seat in the
State Legislature, where his influence was powerful
in promoting public works of great utility. With a
reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen
by a very large majority of votes. Governor of his
native State. His administration was signally a suc-
cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election.

John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed
man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the
United States. A portion of the Democratic party
was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course,
and brought forward John Tyler as his opponent,
considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient
popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of
Roanoke. Mr. Tjler was the victor.

\\\ accordance with his professions, upon taking his
seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi-
tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and
voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren-
uously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resist-
ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen-
eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr.
Calhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen.
Jackson, by his opposition to tlie nullifiers, had
abandoned the piinciples of the Democratic party.
Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record
in perfect accordance with the principles which he
had always avowed.

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of
b.is profession. There was a cplit iu the Democratic

JOHN TYLER.

party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef-
tersoiiian, gave him a dinner, and showered compli-
ments upon him. He had now attained the age of
forty-six. His career had been very briUiant. In con-
sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri-
vate affairs had fallen into some disorder; and it was
not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice
of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan-
tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg,
for the better education of his children ; and he again
look his seat in the Legislature of Virginia.

By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national
convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in
'839. The maioritv of votes were given to Gen. Har-
rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disappointment ot
the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili-
ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the
convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres-
ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa-
thy with the Whig party in the Noith: but the Vice
President has but very little pov/er in the Govern-
ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre-
side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap-
pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a
Democratic Vice President were chosen.

In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi-
dent of the United States. In one short month frojii
that time. President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler
thus -:und himself, to his own surprise and that of
the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential
chair. This was a new test of the stability of our
institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our
country that such an event had occured. iVIr. Tyler
was at home in Williamsburg when he received the
unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri-
son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of
April was inaugurated to the high and responsible
office. He was placed in a position of exceeding
delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been
opposed to the main principles of the party which had
brought him into jjower. He had ever been a con-
sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record.
Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should
he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun-
sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own.'' or,
on the other hand, should he turn against the party
which had elected him and select a cabinet in har-
mony with himself, and which would oppose all those
views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub-
lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in-
vited the cabinet which President Harrison had
s-elected to retain their seats. He reccommended a
day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and
bless us.

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the
incorijoration of a fiscal bank of the United States.
The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with
his veto. He «ueeested, however, that he would

approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he
proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and
privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval.
It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back
with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture.
It is said that IMr. Tyler was provoked to this meas-
ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M.
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely
touched the pride of the President.

The opposition now exultingly received the Presi-
dent into their. arms. The party which elected him
denounced him bitterly. AH the members of his
cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs
of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a
meeting and issued an address to the people of the
United States, proclaiming that all political alliance
between the Whigs and President Tyler were at
an end.

Still the President attempted to conciliate. He
appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs and
Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party
men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign,
forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus
the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra-
tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The
land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. Whigs
and Democrats alike assailed him. More and more,
however, he brought himself into sympathy with his
old friends, the Democrats, until atthe close of his term,
he gave his whole influence to the support of Mr.
Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor.

On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the
harassments of office, to the regret of neither party, and
probably to his own unspeakable lelief. His first wife,
Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842;
and in June, 1844, PresidentTyler was again married,
at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of
many personal and intellectual accomplishments.

The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mainly
in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For-
est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in
his manners, richly furnished with information from
books and experience in the world, and possessing
brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was
the scene of unnsual attractions. With sufficient
moans for the exercise of a generous hospitality, he
might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few
friends who gathered around him, were it not for the
storms of civil war which his own principles and
policy had helped to introduce.

When the great Rebellion rose, which the State-
rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Cal-
houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his
allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed-
erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress;
and while engaged in active measures to destroy, h"
force of arms, the Government over wjiich he had
once presided, he was taken sick and soon died.

THE NtW YORK

PUBLIC UBRAR1

ASTOR. LENOX

TIUDtNFOUN DAT IONS

''J;«!&V*= '""

^^

'^

0(L-

..j<.

ELEVENTH PRESIDENT.

59

AMES K. POLK, the eleventh

Ijjl'resident of the United States,

was born in Mecklenburg Co.,

N. C, Nov. 2, 1795. His par-

,-^^. ents were Samuel and Jane

(Kno.x) Polk, the former a son

of Col. Thomas Polk, who located

at the above place, as one of the

first pioneers, in 1735.

In the year i3o6, with his wife
and children, and soon after fol-
lowed by most of the members of
the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi-
grated some two or three hundred
miles farther west, to the rich valley
of the Duck River. Here in the
midst of the wilderness, in a region
which was subsequently called Mau-
ry Co., they reared their log huls,
and established their homes. In the
hard toil of a new farm in the wil-
derness, James K. Polk spent the
early years of his childhood and
youth. His father, adding the pur-
suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer,
' gradually increased in wealth until

he became one of the leading men of the region. His
mother was a superior woman, of strong common
sense and earnest piety.

Very early in life, James developed a taste for
reading and expressed the strongest desire to' obtain
a liberal education. His mother's training had made
liim methodical in his habits, had taught him punct-
uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty
principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his
father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a

fE

sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the
counter, hopjing to fit him for commercial pursuits.

This was to James a bitter disappointment. He
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his
earnest solicitation jiis father removed him, and made
arrangements for him to [jrosecute his studies. Soon
after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With
ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed
forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half
years, in the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore
class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel
Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of
scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing
himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious
service.

He graduated in 181S, with the highest honors, be«
ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in
mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty-
three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at thi?
time much impaired by the assiduity with which he
had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of
rela.xation he went to Nashville, and entered the
office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk
renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who
resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few
miles from Nashville. They had probably been
slightly acquainted before.

Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican,
and James K. Polk ever adliered to the same politi-
cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was
constantly called upon to address the meetings of his
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that
he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump.
He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and

So

/AMES K. POLK.

tourterus in his bearing, and with that sympathetic
iiatui-e in the jo) s and griefs of others which ever gave
him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected
to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his
strong influence towards the election of his friend,
Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States.

In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah
Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was
altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul-
ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a
member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave
to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that
for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con-
tinuecX in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew,
only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair
of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious
member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was
always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever
he spoke it was always to the point, and without any
ambitious rhetorical display.

During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was
Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused,
and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per-
formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac-
tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was
passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of
March, 1839.

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a
candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was
elected bv a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo-
ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841,
his term of office expired, and he was again the can-
didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated.

On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur-
ated President of the United States. The verdict of
the countryin favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted
its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the
administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig-
nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the
•jd of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to
the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas
as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister,
Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and
left the country, declaring the act of the annexation
to be an act hostile to Mexico.

In his first message. President Polk urged that
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re-
ceived into the Union on the same footing with the
other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent

with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was
sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the
western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly
two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande,
where he erected batteries which commanded the
Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on
the western banks.

The anticipated collision soon took place, and wai
was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The
war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration
with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first
called one of "observation," then of "occupation,'
then of " invasion, "was sent forward to Monterey. The
feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly
and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement
alone can reveal the misery which this war caused.
It v/as by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration
that the war was brought on.

'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was
prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands
We now consented to peace upon the condition that
Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas,
all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal-
ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of
Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This
was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the
size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen
majestic States to be added to the Union. There were
some Americans who thought it all right : there were
others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution
of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and
more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this
money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico.

On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired from
office, having served one term. The next day was
Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated
as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in the
same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even-
ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to
Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age.
He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits,
and his health was good. With an ample fortune,
a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties
of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years
of trancjuility and happiness were before him. But the
cholera — that fearful scourge — was then sweeping up
the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted,
and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fiftv-fourth
year of his age, greatly mourned by his countrymen,

THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARl

I

ASTOn. LFNOX
TILO H Fou-.njT

TWELFTH PRESIDENT.

(>3

ps^v^^^;

ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth
President of the United States,
*was born on the 24th of Nov.,
^ 1 7 84, in Orange Co., Va. His
father, Colonel Taylor, was
a Virginian of note, and a dis-
'^} tinguished patriot and soldier of
the Revolution. When Zachary
was an infant, his father with his
wife and two children, emigrated
to Kentucky, where he settled in
the pathless wilderness, a few
miles from Louisville. In this front-
?/iii^ ier home, away from civilization and
I all its refinements, young Zachary
could enjoy but few social and educational advan-
tages. When six years of age he attended a common
school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy,
rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char-
acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and
manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight
the Indians who were ravaging the frontiers. There
is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of liis
childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation.
In iSoS, his father succeeded in obtaining for him
the commission of lieutenant in the United States
army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed
at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after
this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady
from one of the first families of ALiryland.

Lnmediately after the declaration of war with Eng-
land, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been
promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort
Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above
Vincennes. Tiiis fort had been built in the wilder-
ness by Gen. Harrison, on his march to Tippecanoe.
It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians,
led Ijy Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken

company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of
whom were sick.

Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, stealthily,
and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. The;r
approach was first indicated by the murder of two
soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor
made every possible preparation to meet the antici-
pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of
forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort,
waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that
in the morning their chief would come to have a talk
with him. It was evident that their object was merely
to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt.
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept
them at a distance.

The sun went down; the savages disappeared, the
garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before
midnight the war whoop burst from a thousand lips
in the forest around, followed by the discharge of
musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick
and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that
defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap-
ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor-
ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can
conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc-
ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses-
Until si.x o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict
continued. The savages then, baffled at every point,
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt.
Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the
rank of major by brevet.

Until the close of the war, MajorTaylor was placed
in such situations that he saw but little more of active
service. He was sent far away into the depths of the
wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which
empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little
to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one
best could. There were no books, no society, no in-

"54

ZACHARY TAYLQR^

tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful
years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of
colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in
the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor
took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part.

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in
the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in
employments so obscure, that his name was unknown
beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance.
In the year 1S36, he was sent to Florida to comviel
the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re-
tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty,
iiac' promised they should do. Tlie services rendered
he;e secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of
the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated
tc -he rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon
after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com-
mand of the United States troops in Florida.

After two years of such wearisome employment
a.midst the everglades of the peninsula, Gen. Taylor
obtained, at his own request, a change of command,
and was stationed over the Department of the South-
west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family
to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue.
Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were,
from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty
imposed upon him.

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land
between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river
being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed
by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico
was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the
Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet
was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name
yizA received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in
the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and
Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over
forces much larger than he commanded.

His careless habits of dress and his unaffected
simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops,
itie sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.'

Tlie tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista
;pread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The
name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The
Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder-
ful pojjularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un-
lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the
Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an-
nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de-
claring that he was not at all ipialified for such an
office. So little interest had he taken in politics that,
for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not
without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen
who had been long years in the public service found
tl.ur claims set aside in behalf of one whose name

had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena
Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re-
marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made."

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine
writer His friends took possession of him, and pre-
pared such few communications as it was needful
should be presented to the public. The popularity of
the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri-
umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, —
Gen. Cass and E.\-President Martin Van Buren.
Thiugh he selected an excellent cabinet, the good
old man found himself in a very uncongenial position,
and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed.
His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably
tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party
was pushing its claims with tireless energy, expedi-
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California w.ts
pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery
stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found
the political conflicts in Washington to be far more
trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or
Indians

In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor,
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little
over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of
but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1850.
His last words were, " I am not afraid to die. I am
ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died
universally respected and beloved. An honest, un-
pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the
affections of the people; and the Nation bitterly la-
mented his death.

Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with
Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful
description of his.character: — '' With a good st»re ot
common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en-
larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse
with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse-
quence. The frontiers and small military posts had
been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his
rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim-
plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju-
dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the
tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable,
chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or hish.il
a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave
a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out-
side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the
offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse),
whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase,
'touch with a pair of tongs.'

"Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil-
worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a
sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter
unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In shorf
few men have ever had a more comfortanie, laboi-
saving contempt for learning of every kind."

THE NEW YCRK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR. LENOX
TILDt.N FOUNDATIONS

l-C-tK^

^ jtc^^^i^

'(xru)

THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT.

6r

^■MILLflRH FILLMORE- -4

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ILLARD FILLMORE, thir-
®)^ teentli President of the United

if.

States, was born at Summer
Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on
the yth of January, iSoo. His
"^ father was a farmer, and ow-
ing to misfortune, in humble cir-
cumstances. Of his mother, the
daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard,
of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been
said that she [X)ssessed an intellect
of very high order, united with much
personal loveliness, sweetness of dis-
position, graceful manners and ex-
quisite sensibilities. She died in
1831 ; having lived to see her son a
young man of distinguished prom-
ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high
dignity which he finally attained.

In consequence of the secluded home and limited
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad-
vantages for education in his early years. The com-
mon schools, which he occasionally attended were
very imperfect nistitutions; and books were scarce
and expensive. There was nothing then in his char-
acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he
was about to enter. He was a plain fanner's boy ;
intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred
influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible,
and had laid the foundations of an upright character.
When fourteen years of age, his father sent him
some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier.
Near the mil] there was a small villiage, where some

enterprising man had commenced the collection of a
village library. This proved an inestimable blessing
to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read-
ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with
books. His thirst fur knowledge became insatiate
and the selections which he made were continually
more elevating and instructive. He read history,
biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en-
kindled in his heart a desire to be something more
than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be-
coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed,
educated man.

The young clothier had now attained the age of
nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance
and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened tha'.
there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample
pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter
Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap-
pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint-
ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and
attainments that he advised him to abandon his
trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The
young man replied, that he had no means of his own,
no friends to help him and that his previous educa-
tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had
so mucji confidence in him that he kindly offered to
take him into his own office, and to loan him such
money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous
offer was accepted.

There is in many minds a strange delusion about
a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to
be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col-
lege. But many a boy loiters through university hall-,
Hnd then enters a la.w office, who is by no means a?

66

MILLARD FILLMORE.

well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was
Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing-
mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during
which every leisure moment had been devoted to in-
tense mental culture.

In 1S23, when twenty-three years of age, he was
admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then
went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the
practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region,
his practice of course was limited, and there was no
opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame.
Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great
moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station
she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers.

His elevation of character, his untiring industry,
his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate,
gradually attracted attention ; and lie was invited to
enter into partnership under highly advantageous
circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in
Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829,
he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the
State of New York, as a representative from Erie
County. Though he had never taken a very active
part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with
the Whig party. The State was then Democratic,
and he found himself in a helpless minority in the
Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parlies,
Ihat his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very
unusual degn e the respect of his associates.

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in
the United States Congress. He entered that troubled
irena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our
national history. The great conflict respecting the
national bank and the removal of the deposits, was
then raging.

His term of two years closed ; and he returned to
his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep-
utation and success. After a lapse of two years
he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re-
elected, and took his seat in 1S37. His past e.xpe-
rience as a representative gave hun stiength and
confidence. The first term of service in Congress to
any man can be but little more than an introduction.
He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener-
gies were brought to bear upon the public good. Every
measure received his impress.

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and
his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847,
he was elected Comptroller of the State.

Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven
years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in
Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con-
siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to
find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi-
dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the
waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old
soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles
with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be
proclaimed in tiumpet-tones all over the land. But
it was necessary to associate with him on the same
ticket some man of reputation as a statesman.

Under the influence of these considerations, the
namesofZachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became
the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for
President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was
signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849,
Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard
Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States.

On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but
about one year and four months after his inaugura-
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con-
stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi-
dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which
the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary' of State.

Mr. Fillniore had very serious difficulties to contend
with, since the opposition had a majority in both
Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate
the South; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt
the inadequacy of all measures of transient conciliation.
The population of the free States was so rapidly in-
creasing over that of the slave States that it was in-
evitable that the power of the Government should
soon pass into the hands of the free States. The
famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr.
Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition
was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill-
more, having served one term, retired.

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres-
idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten
by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in
retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war,
he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that
his sympathies were rather with those who were en-
deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President
Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any
cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other.
He was thus forgotten liy both. He lived to a ripe
old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874.

VGKK

.dRARY

ASTOR. LENOX
TlLDtN FOUNDATIONg.

V/^iy^^U. J^^

FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT.

71

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RANKLIN PIERCE, the
t'ourteenth President of the
' Lhiited States, was born in
Hillsborough, N. H., Nov.
23, 1804. His father was a
Revohuionary soldier, who,
with his own strong arm,
hewed out a home in the
wilderness. He was a man
of inflexible integrity; of
strong, though uncultivated
mind, and an uncompromis-
ing Democrat. The mother of
Franklin Pierce was all that a son
could desire, — an intelligent, pru-
dent, affectionate, Christian wom-
an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children.

Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen-
erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the
love of old and young. The boys on the play ground
loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors
looked upon him with pride and affection. He was
by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words,
doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact
which taught him what was agreeable. Without de-
veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural
devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body,
in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy.

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he
entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was
one of the most popular young men in the college.
The purity of his moral character, the unvarying
courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and

genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite.
There was something very peculiarly winning in his
address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de-
gree studied: it was the simple outgushing of his
own magnanimous and loving nature.

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce
commenced the study of law in the ofiSce of Judge
Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of
the .State, and a man of great private worth. The
eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his
father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant
political career into which Judge Woodbury was en-
tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci-
nating yet perilous path of political life. With all
the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen.
Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the
practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected
to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here
he served for four years. The last two years he was
chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote.

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected
a member of Congress. Without taking an active
part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty,
and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom
lie was associatad.

In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age,
he was elected to the Senate of the United States;
taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced
his administration. He was the youngest member in
the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane
Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom-
plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every
station with which her husband was honoted. Of the

7*

FRANKLIN PIERCE.

three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with
their parents in the grave.

In the year 183S, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame
and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his
residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire.
President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed
Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but
the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous
professional engagements at home, and the precariuos
state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the
same time declined the nomination for governor by the
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr.
Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of
brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his
troops, at Newport, R, I., on the 27th of May, 1S47.
He took an important part in this war, proving him-
self a brave and true soldier.

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native
State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo-
cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo-
nents. He resumed the practice of his profession,
very frequently taking an active i)art in political ques-
tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery
wing of the Democratic party. The compromise
measures met cordially with his approval; and he
strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa-
mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious
sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin-
guished as a "Northern man with Southern principles.''
The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse-
quently regarded him as a man whom they could
safely trust in office to carry out their plans.

On the i2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven-
tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the
Presidency. For four days they continued in session,
and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a
two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been throw n
for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation
brought forward his name. There were fourteen
more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he
received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all
other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was
the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with
great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas-
sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their
electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce
was therefore inaugurated President of the United
States on the 4th of March, 1853.

His administration proved one of the most stormy our
country had ever experienced. The controversy be-
tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its
culminating point. Ii became evident that there was
an "irrepressible conflict " between them, and that
tliis Nation could not long exist " half slave and half
free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad-
ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate
the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every
year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution
of the Union were borne to the North on every South-
ern breeze.

Such was the condition of affairs when President
Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term
of office. The North had become thoroughly alien-
ated from him. The anti-slavery sentimer.t, goaded
by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all
the intellectual ability and social worth of President
Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad-
ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also,
unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo-
cated those measures of Government which they ap-
proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had
rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be
able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped
him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him.

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re-
tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two
had died, and his only surviving child had been
killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his
wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of
ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The
hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left
alone in the world, without wife or child.

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di-
vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr.
Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he
had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to
that pro-slavery party with which he had ever been
allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice
or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov-
ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until
the time of his death, which occurred in October,
1869. He was one of the most genial and social of
men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal
Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen-
erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al-
leviation of suffering and want, and many of liis towns-
people were often gladened by his material bounty.

THE NEW YORK
IPUBLIC LIBRARY

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I'IFTEENTH FRESIJJENT.

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AMES BUCHANAN, the fif-
eenth President of the United
States, was born in a small
frontier town, at the footof the
eastern ridge of the Allegha-
nies, in Franivlin Co., Penn.,on
the 23d of April, 1791. The place
where the humble cabin of his
father stood was called Stony
Batter. It was a wild and ro-
mantic spot in a gorge of the moun-
tains, with towering summits rising
grandly all around. His father
«,,,« was a '.mtive of the north of Ireland ■
(SiS a poor man, who had emigrated in
i 1783, with little property save his

own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married
Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer,
and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder-
ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a
clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per-
form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se-
cluded home, where James was born, he remained
for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual
advantages. When James was eight years of age, his
father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where
his son was placed at school, and commenced a
course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His
progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he
entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de-
veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among
the first scholars in the institution. His application
to study was intense, and yet his native powers e;i-

abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with
facility.

In the year 1S09, he graduated with the highest
honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of
age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of
athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with
an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately
commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster,
and was admitted to the bar in 1S12, when he was
but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose
in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand
with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but
twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc-
cessfully defended before the State Senate one of the
judges of the State, wlio was tried upon articles of
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and
there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lu-
crative practice.

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for
ten years he remained a member of the Lower House.
During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally
tried some important case. In 1831, he retired
altogether from the toils of his profession, having ac-
quired an ample fortune.

Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency,
appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The
duties of his mission he performed wuh ability, which
gave satisfaction to all parties. LTpon his return, in
1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States
Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster,
Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated tlie meas-
ures proposed by President Jackson, of m.kvng repn-

76

J.AMES BUCHANAN.

sais against France, to enforce the payment of our
claims against that country; and defended the course
of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale
removal from office of those wlio were not tlie sup-
porters of his administration. Upon this question he
was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay.
He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging
from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure
against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits.
Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the
District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the
circulation of anti-slavery documents bv the United
States mails.

As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo-
cated that they should be respectfully received; and
that the reply should be returned, that Congress had
no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress,"
said he, "might as well undertake to interfere with
slavery under a foreign government as in any of the
States where it now exists."

Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr.
Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such,
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of
the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing
the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed
territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross
the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration
of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the
account of the course our Government pursued in that
movement.

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with
the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension
of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind
to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his
cordial approval to the compromise measures of rS5o,
which included the fugiiive-slave law. Mr. Pierce,
upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr.
Buchanan with the mission to England.

In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven-
tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The
political conflict was one of the most severe in which
our country has ever engaged. All the friends of
slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re-
striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre-
mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re-
■■eived 114 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received
174, and was elected. The popular vote stood
1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On
March 4th. 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated.

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four
vears were wanting to fill up his threescore years and
ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been
allied in political principles and action for years, were
st?v;king the destruction of the Government, that they
might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a
nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery.
In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be-
wildered He could not, with his long-avowed prin-

ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in
their assumptions. As President of the United States,
bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws,
lie could not, without perjury of the grossest kind,
unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub-
lic. He therefore did nothing.

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration
nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer
in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery
party declared, that if he were elected, and the con-
trol of the Government were thus taken from their
hands, they would secede from the Union, taking
with them, as they retned, the National Capitol at
Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of
the United States.

Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery
party was such,,tliat he had been willing to offer them
far more than they had ventured to claim. All the
South had professed to ask of the North was non-
intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu-
chanan had been ready to offer them the active co-
operation of the Government to defend and extend
the institution.

As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders
claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow-
ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of
the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im-
becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He
declared that Congress had no power to enforce its
laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which
was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This
was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with
his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed. "The
Union must and shall be preserved!"

South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly
three months before the inauguration of President
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair.
The rebel flag was raised in Charleston : Fort Sumpter
was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals
were seized ; our depots of military stores were plun-
dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were
appropriated by the rebels.

The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our
Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked
on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away,
and close the administration, so terrible in its weak-
ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver-
ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the
scepter.

The administration of President Buchanan was
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex-
perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with
pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame,
that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows
of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came
from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's
banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion.
He died at his Wheatland retreat, June i, 1868.

^

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G^X^D^^^T^

SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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BRAHAM LINCOLN,
sixteenth President of
^^^SUnited States, was born
Hardin Co., Ky., Feb.
1809. About tlie year 17S0, a
man by the name of Abraham
Lincohi left Virginia with his
family and moved into the then
wilds of Kentucky. Only two years
after this emigration, still a young
man, while working one day in a
field, was stealthily approached by
an Indian and shot dead. His widow
was left in extreme poverty with five
little children, three boys and two
girls. Thomas, the youngest of the
boys, was four years of age at his
father's death. This Thomas was
the father of .Abraham Lincoln, the
President of the United States
whose name must henceforth foi-ever be enrolled
with the most prominent in the annals of our world.
Of course no record has been kept of the life
of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among
the poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched
log-cabin ; his food the coarsest and the meanest.
Education he had none; he could never either read
or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for
himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his
starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend-
.ess, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him-
self out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a
laborer in the fields of others.

When twenty-eight years of age he buill a log-
cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the
daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi-
grants, who liad also come from Virginia. Their
second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of
this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble
woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn
a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel.
" AU 'hat I am, or hope to be," e.xclaims the grate-
ful son "I owe to my angel-mother.

When he was eight years of age, his father sold his

cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana Where
two years later his mother died.

Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated
community around him. He could not have had a
better school than this to teach him to put thoughts
into words. He also became an eager reader. The
books he could obtain were few ; but these he read
and re-read until they were almost committed lo
memory.

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family
was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and
griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister
Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mar-
ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and
soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr.
Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830,
and emigrated to Macon Co., 111.

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age.
With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing
another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this
until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their
small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when
he announced to his father his intention to leave
home, and to go out into the world and seek hi% for-
tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril-
liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of
education and was intensely earnest to improve his
mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin
which ardent spirits were causing, and became
strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi-
cating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in
God's word, "Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain;" and a profane expression he
was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His
morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a
single vice.

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer
among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield,
where he was employed in building a large flat-boat.
In this he took a herd of swine, floated them down
the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence liy the Mis-
sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham I,in-
coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give
great satisfacticn to his employers. In this adven-

So

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon
his return taey placed a store and mill under his care.

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he
enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He
returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23
years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but
was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew
Jackson the appointmentof Postmaster of New Salem,
His only post-office was his hat. All the letters he
received he carried there ready to deliver to those
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon
made this his business. In 1834 he again became a
candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr.
Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He
walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of
Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and
began his legal studies. When the Legislature as-
sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back
one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it
was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re-
moved to Springfield and began the practice of law.
His success with the jury was so great that he was
soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit.

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr.
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question.
In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois,
in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became
one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's
speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con-
test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most
notable part of his history. The issue was on the
ilavery question, and he took the broad ground of
:he Declaration of Independence, that all men are
created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con-
test, but won a far higher prize.

The great Republican Convention met at Chicago
on tljp i6lh ot June, i860. The delegates and
strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty-
five thousand. An immense building called "The
Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven-
tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes
were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame
as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most
orominent. It was generally supposed he would be
the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received
the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then
dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the
bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him:
and as little did he dream that he was to render services
to his country, which would fi.x upon him the eyes of
the whole civilized world, and which would give him
a place in the affections of his countrymen, second
cnly, if second, to that of Washington.

Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180
electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was. therefore,
constitutionally elected President of the United States.
The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this good

and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was
greater than upon any other man ever elected to this
high position. In February, 1861, Mr. Lincoln started
for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his
way making speeches. The whole journey wasfrought
with much danger. Many of the Southern States had
already seceded, and several attempts at assassination
were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti-
more had arranged, upon his arrival to "get up a row,"
and in the confusion to make sure of his death with
revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled
the plot. A secret and special train was provided to
take him from HarrisL'urg, through Baltimore, at an
unexpected hour of the night. The train started at
half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi-
cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con-
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had
started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln
reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated,
although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people.

In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave
to Mr Seward the Department of State, and to other
prominent opponents before the convention he gave
important positions.

During no other administration have the duties
devolving upon the President been so manifold, and
the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to
the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and
feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in
his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he
learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in
determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his
trials, bo'h personal and national Contrary to his
own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the
most courageous of men. He went directly into the
rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving,
with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he
had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans had Ijeen
made for his assassination, and he at last fell a victim
to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant,
was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It
was announced that they would te present. Gen.
Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel-
ing, witli his characteristic kindliness of heart, that
it would be a disappointment if he sliould fail them,
very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to
the play an actor by the name of John AVilkes Booth
entered the box where the President and family were
seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the
next morning at seven o'clock.

Never before, in the history of the world was a nation
plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler
Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless
anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was
in tears. His was a life which will filly become a
model. His name as the savior of his country w:!!
live with that of W^ashington's, its father; his cf^untry-
men being unable to decide whii h is tKg greatec

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SEVENTEENTH PRESlDEi\T.

8j

fe k"-^ . .;

NDREW JOHNSON, seven-
teenth President of the United
States. The early life of
Andrew Johnson contains but
the record of poverty, destitu-
tion and friendlessness. He
,^5^is^ V was born December 29, 180S,
in Raleigh, N. C. His parents,
belonging to the class of the
"poor whites " of the South, were
V ni such circumstances, that they
could not confer even the slight-
est advantages of education upon
their child. When Andrew was five
years of age, his father accidentally
lost his life while herorically endeavoring to save a
friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the
labor of his mother, who obtained her living with
her own hands.

He then, having never attended a school one day,
and being unable either to read or write, was ap-
prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman
was in the liabit of going to the tailor's shop occasion-
ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often
read from the speeches of distinguished British states-
men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more
than ordinary native ability, became much interested
in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he
was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read.

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and
with the assistance of some of his fellow- workmen,
learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle-
man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner,

pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book
but assisted him in learning to combine the letters
into words. Under such difficulties he pressed ai-
ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours
at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest
and recreatio;^ to devote such time as he could to
reading.

He went to Tennessee m 1826, and located at
Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos
sessed some education. Under her instructions he
learned to write and cipher. He became prominent
in the village debating society, and a favorite with
the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or-
ganized a working man's party, which elected him
alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which
position he held three years.

He now began to take a lively interest in political
affairs ; identifying himself with the working-classes,
to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a
member of the House of Representatives of Tennes-
see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age.
He became a very active member of the legislature
gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in
1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Tan
Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to thos«.
of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired mucl;
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased
his reputation.

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he
was elected a member of Congress, and by successive
elections, held that important post for ten years. In
1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and
was re-elected in 1855. In all these resiwnsible posi-
tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abi.

84

ANDRF.W JOHNSON.

ity, and ijroved himself the warm friend of the work-
ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected
United States Senator.

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated
the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his
reason, that he thought this annexation would prob-
ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable
sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom,
and become merged in a population congenial to
themselves." In 1850, he also supported the com-
promise measures, the two essential features of which
were, that the white people of the Territories should
be permitted to decide for themselves whether they
would enslave the colored people or not, and that
the ""ree States of the North should return to the
Soudi persons who attempted to escape from slavery.

Mr. Johnson was neverashamedof his lowly origin:
on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that
he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir,''
said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget
that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam
was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav-
ior was the son of a carpenter."

In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of iSuo, iie
ivas the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the
Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South-
jrn Democracy became apparent, he took a decided
stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery
must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever
cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly
imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of
Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the
Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap-
pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he
established the most stringent military rule. His
numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In

1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United
States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15,

1865, became President. In a speech two days later
he said, " The American people must be taught, if
they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and
must be punished ; that the Government will not
always bear with its enemies ; that it is strong not
only to protect, but to punish. * * The people
must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of
crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole
administration, the history of which is so well known,
was in utter ioijonsistency with, and the most violent

opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech.

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress ; and he char-
acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly
defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In
the beginning of 1868, on account of ."high crimes
and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the
removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten-
ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre-
ferred against him, and the trial began March 23.

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three
months. A test article of the impeachment was at
length submitted to the court for its action. It was
certain that as the court voted upon that article so
would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced
the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces-
sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac-
quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against
him. The change of one vote from the not guilty
side would have sustained the impeachment.

The President, for the remainder of his term, was
but little regarded. He continued, though impotently,
his conflict with Congress. His own party did not
think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi-
dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar-
alleled since the days of Washingto#, around the name
of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten.
The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the
President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was
there presented to a man a better opportunity to im-
mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a
nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home
in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in
politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting
struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten-
nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con-
gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special
session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-President
made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter
Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was
apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach-
ing the residence of his child the following day, was
stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious.
He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at
2 A.M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun-
eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August,
with every demonstration of respect.

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' c

y-a

::^

EIGHTEENTH FRESIDENT.

87

LYSSES S. GRANT, the
eighteenth President of the
;■■■■" United States, was born on
the 2gth of April, 1822, of
Christian parents, in a humble
J-v home, at Point Pleasant, on the
banks of the Ohio. Shortly after
his father moved to George-
town, Brown Co., O. In this re-
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses
received a common-school edu-
cation. At the age of seven-
teen, in the year 1839, he entered
the Military Academy at West
I Point. Here he was regarded as a
solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of
sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank
as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the
middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in-
fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis-
souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary
solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating
Indians.

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first
battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here
for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at
Resaca de la Palnia, his second battle. At the battle
of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that
he performed a signal service of daring and skillful
horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am-
munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along
a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut.
Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians,
grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one
side of the anir"^!, ran the gauntlet in entire safety.

From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry,
to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In
preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he
was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the
battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a
first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha-
pultepec.

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re-
turned with his regiment to New York, and was again
sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The
discovery of gold in California causing an immense
tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt.
Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in
Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im-
migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt.
Grant resigned his commission and returned to the
States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva-
tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but
little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re-
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into
the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga-
lena, 111. This was in the year i860. As the tidings
of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears
of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, —
"Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though
I have served him through one war, I do not feel that
I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge
my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword
and see Uncle Sam through this war too."

He went into the streets, raised a company of vol-
unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield,
the capital of the State, where their services were
offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by
the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt.
Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the
volunteer organization that was being formed in the
State in behalf of the Government. On the 15 th of

88

UL YSSKS S. GRA NT.

jiiue, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as
Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol-
unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who
had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such
that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier-
General and was placed in command at Cairo. The
rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth
of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap-
peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The
rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and
stripes were unfurled in its stead.

He entered the service with great determination
and immediately began active duty. This was the be-
ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond
he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and
efifectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur-
prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry
won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight
at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the
victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was
immediately made a Major-General, and the military
iistrict of Tennessee was assigned to him.

Like all great captains. Gen. Grant knew well how
to secure the results of victory. He immediately
pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the
terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the
siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an
unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty
thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can-
non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most
severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered,
and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf.

Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro-
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from
his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he
was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid
of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and
by a wonderful series of strategic and technical meas-
ures put tlie Union Army in fighting condition. Then
followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout
Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels
were routed with great loss. This won for him un-
bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru-
ary, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenant-
general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant.
He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials
and enter upon tb^ duties of his new office.

Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of
ihe army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National
troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal
capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de-
stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as-
sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole
continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these
majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field.
Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains
were burdened with closely packed thousands. His
plans were comprehensive and involved a series of
campaigns, which were executed with remarkable en-
ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur-
render of Lee, April 9, 1865.

The war was ended. The Union was saved. The
almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen.
Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal-
vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered
the country brought him conspicuously forward as the
Republican candidate for the Presidential chair.

At the Republican Convention held at Chicago.
May 21, 1868, he was unanimously nominated for the
Presidency, and at the autumn election received a
majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294
electoral votes.

The National Convention of the Republican party
which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872,
placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term
by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati-
cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292
electoral votes being cast for him.

Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant
started upon his famous trip around the world. He
visited almost every country of the civilized world,
and was everywhere received with such ovations
and demonstrations of respect and honor, private
as well as public and official, as were never before
bestowed upon any citizen of the United States.

He was the most prominent candidate before the
Republican National Convention in 1880 for a re-
nomination for President. He went to New York and
embarked in the brokerage business under the firm
nameof Grant & Ward. The latter proved a villain,
wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to
the penitentiary. The General was attacked with
cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-like
manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as
General of the Army and retired by Congress. The
cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23,
1885, the nation went in mourning over the death of
the illustrious General.

s..

'W.e^

o

NII\'ETEEi\TH FRESIDKNT.

91

M RUTHERi:OHB B, H'A.Y'ES. S

UTHERFORD B. HAYES,

fj the nineteenth President of
"til
g,f the United States, was bom in

Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al-
most three months after the
'*^ death of his father, Rutherford
Hayes. His ancestry on both
the paternal and maternal sides,
was of the most honorable char-
acter. It can be traced, it is said,
as far back as 1280, when Hayes and
Rutherford were two Scottish chief-
tains, fighting side by side with
Baliol, William Wallace and Rol)ert
Bruce. Both families belonged to the
nobility, owned extensive estates,
and had a large following. Misfor-
tcine ovwfaking the family, George Hayes left Scot-
land in 16S0, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son
George was born in Windsor, and remained there
during his lile. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar-
ried Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar-
riage until hJs death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel,
son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac-
turer of scythe;; at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes,
sonof Ezekiel ai/d grandfather of President Hayes, was
born inNewHaven, in .\ugust, 1756. He was a farmer,
blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to
Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro,
where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth-
erford Hayes the father of President Hayes, was

born. He was married, in September, 18 13, to Sophia
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi-
grated thither from Connecticut, they having beeti
among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich.
Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to
1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders
of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers
in the Revolutionary War.

The father of President Hayes was an industrious
frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me-
chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock-
ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to
undertake. He was a member of the Church, active
in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con-
ducted his business on Christian principles. After
the close of the war of 181 2, for reasons inexplicable
to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio.

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day
when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways,
was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was
first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter
mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived
in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial
fever, less than three months before the birth of the
son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be-
reavement, found the support she so much needed in
her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the
household from the day of its departure from Ver-
mont, and in an orphan girl vifhom she had adopted
some time before as an act of charity.

Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the

Xfi.

RUTHHRPORD S. ^HA VESi-

subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he
was not expected to live beyond a month or two at
most. As the months went by he grew weaker and
weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in-
quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died
last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on
familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the
boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of
nini, said in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to
him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't
wonder if he would really come to something yet."

" You r.eed not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. " You
vait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him
President of the United States yet." The boy lived,
in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy
death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was
drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his
mother.

The boy was seven years old before he w^nt to
school. His education, however, was not neglected.
He probably learned as much from his mother and
sister as he would have done at school. His sports
were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being
his sister and her associates. These circumstances
tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo-
sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings
of others, which are marked traits of his character.

His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest
in his education ; and as the boy's health had ii;)~
proved, and he was making good progress in his
studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre-
paration commenced with a tutor at home; but he
was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the
Wesleyan University, in Middletown,-Conn. He en-
tered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen,
and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842.

Immediately after his graduation he began the
study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq.,
in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study i^i
Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter
the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re-
mained two years.

In 1845, after graduatmg at the Law School, he was
admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly
afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law
with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re-
mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice,
and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro-
fession.

In 1849 he nidved to Cincmnati, where his ambi-
tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how-
ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at
this period, had a powerful influence upon his subse-
(;uent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss
Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of
Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin-
cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its
members suck men as'^hief Justice Salmon P. Chase,

Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many
others hardly less distinguished in after life. The
marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our
Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced
and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did
more than she to reflect honor upon American woman-
hood. The Literary Cluu brought Mr. Hayes into
constant association with young men of high char-
acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the
qualities so long hidden by his bashfulneis and
modesty.

In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judg; di
the Court of Common Pleas ; but he declined to ac-
cept the nomination. Two years later, the office ot
city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Co'incii.
elected him for the unexpired term.

In 1 86 1, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at
the zenith of his professional !if-.. His rank at the
bar was among the the first. But the news of the
attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take -id
arms for the defense of his countiy.

His military record was bright and illustrious. In
October, 186 1, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and
in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 7gth Ohio
regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades
and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he
was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle
of South Mountain lie received a wound, and while
faint and bleeding displayed courage end fortitude
that won admiration from all.

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after
his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed
in command of the celebrated Kanawha division,
and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles
of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was
promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted
Major-General, "forgallant and distinguished f ervices
during the campaigns of 1864. in West Virginia." In
the course of his arduous services, four horses were
shot from under him, and he v/as wounded four times

In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from
the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem-
ocratic. He was not present during the campaign,
and after his election was importuned to resign his
commission in the army ; but he finally declared, " I
shall never come to Washington until I can come by
the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866.

In 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio,
over Hon. Allen G. Thunnan, a popular Democrat.
In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton.
He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875.

In 1876 he was the standard bearer of the Repub-
lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a
hard long contest was chosen President, and was in
augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his
full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to his party,
but his administration was an average op..^

THF ^i^'.v YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY

y^^SaHp-'ass^

TiVENTIETH PRESIDENT.

'35

AMES A. GARi'IELD, twen-
;th President of the United
States, was born Nov. 19,
^ ^ I S3 1, in the woods of Orange,

-■ X?fX --Jh Cuyahoga Co., O His par-
ents were Abram and EHza
(Ballon) Garfield, both of New
England ancestry and from fami-
lies well known in the early his-
tory of that section of our coun-
uy, but had moved to the Western
Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle-
ment.

The house in which James A. was
born was not unlike the houses of
I poor Ohio farmers of that day. It
.,ds about 20x30 feet, built of logs, witlithe spaces be-
tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a
jiard working farmer, and he soon had his fields
.-.leared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built.
f he household comprised the father and mother and
heir four children — Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and
Tames. In May, i823j the father, from a cold con-
.racted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At
this time James was about eighteen months old, and
Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can
fell how much James was indebted to his biother's
toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty years suc-
ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very
much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis-
itrs live in Solon, O., near their birthplace.

The early educational advantages young Garfield
enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most oi
them. He labored at farm work for others, did car-
penter work, chopped wood, or did anything that
would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed
mother in he' struggles to keep the little family to-

gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his
origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug-
gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they
ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor,
the humblest fiiend of his boyhood was as kindly
greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sureof the
sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness
of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain,
modest gentleman.

The highest ambition of young Garfield until hi
was about si.xteen years old was to be a captain of
a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard
a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She
finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the
understanding, however, that he should try to obtair
some other kind of employment. He walked all the
way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city
After making many applications for work, and trying
to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with
success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos
Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. Here-
mained at this work but a short time when he wen':
home, and attended the seminary at Chester for
about three years, when he entered Hiram and the
Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of School in
the meantime, and doing other work. This school
was started by the Disciples of Christ \\\ 1850, of
which church he was then a member. He became
janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way
He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon
" exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the
fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which
he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon-
ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram
College as its President. As above stated, he early
united with the Christian or Diciples Church at
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem-
ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where
he liappened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of
Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion :

ge

JAMES A. GARFIELD.

" President Garfield was more than a man of
strong moral and religious convictions. His whole
history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to
man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and
faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs
of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In
my judgment there is no more interesting feature of
his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of
Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent
sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian
communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty
and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to
the less stately and cultured Christian comnmnions
in which they have been reared. Too often it is true
that as they step upward in social and political sig-
nificance they step upward from one degree to
another in some of the many types of fashionable
Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the
-hurch of his mother, the church in which he was
trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an
evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec-
iarian charity for all 'who loveourLord in sincerity.'"

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss
Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. 1 1, 1858, who proved herself
worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and
mourned. To them were born seven children, five of
whom are still living, four boys and one girl.

Mr. Garfieldmade his first political speeches in 1856,
in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three
years later he began to speak at county mass-meet-
ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he
was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio
Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland,
and in i86i was admitted to the bar. The great
Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year,
and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had
talked, and enhsted to defend the old flag. He re-
ceived his commission as Lieut.-Colonel of the Forty-
second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug.
14, 1861. He was immediately put into active ser-
vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action,
was placed in command of four regiments of infantiy
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the
work of driving out of his native State the officer
(Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of
those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given
to the Rebellion, This work was bravely and speed-
ily-accomplislied, although against great odds. Pres-
ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him
Brigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1S62; and as "he had
been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years
before, so now he was the youngest General in the
army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh,
in its operations around Corinth and its march through
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the
General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John
Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose-
crans, and was assigned to the " Chief of Staff."

The military l^istory of Gen. Garfield closed with

his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won
the stars of the Major-General.

Without an effort on his part Gev Garfield was
elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the
Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio
had been represented in Congress for sixty years
mainly by two men — Elisha AVhittlesey and Joshua
R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he
resigned his place in the army. At the time he en-
tered Congress he was the youngest member in thai
body. Ther« he remained by successive re-
elections until he was elected President in 1880.
Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Sinct
the year 1864 you cannot think of a question whici.
has been debated in Congress, or discussed before u
tribunel of the American people, in regard to whicL
you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu-
nrent on one side stated, in almost every instance
better than by anybody else, in some speech made in
the House of Representatives or on the hustings by
Mr. Garfield."

Upon Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to
the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the
same year, was nominated as the candidate of his
party for President at the great Chicago Convention.
He was elected in the following November, and on
March 4, 1881, was inaugurated. Probably no ad-
ministration ever opened its existence under brighter
auspices than that of President Garfield, and every
day it grew in favo/ with the people, and by the first
of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre-
liminary work of his administration and was prepar-
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams
College. While on his way and at the depot, in com-
pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind
him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back.
The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the
assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the
left coat sleeve of his victim, but inflicting no further
injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was
" the shot that was heard round the world " Never
before in the history of the Nation had anything oc-
curred which so nearly froze the blood of the peop ";
for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit-
ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and
was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty
days, all during the hot months of July and August,
he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained
master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent
bearing was teaching the country and the world the
noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the
very clutch of death. Great in life, he was sur|)ass-
ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept.
19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J., on the very bank of the
ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The
world wept at his death, as it never had done on the
death of any other man who had ever lived upon it.
The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe-
cuted, in one year after he committed the fouT deed.

IPUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR. LENOX

T WE IV T Y-FIRS T PRESIDENT.

99

^^mm'wmM a^ Mmm^Mmw

P^l^^v^^l

HESTER A. ARTHUR,

>1^ twenty-first Presi'^.^m of the

«'* United States, was born in

Franklin Cour ty, Vermont, on

'f thefifthof Oc'ober, 1830, andis

the oldest of a family of two

sons and five daughters. His

father was the Rev. Dr. William '

Arthur, a Baptist c)',rgyman, who

emigrated to tb.s country from

the county Antrim, Ireland, in

fS his iSth year, and died in 1875, in

'A Newtonville, neai Albany, after a

^ long and successful ministry.

Young Arthur was educated at
Union College, S( henectady, where
he excelled in all his studies. Af-
ter his graduation he taught school
ft in Vermont for two years, and at
the expiration cf that time came to
New York, with $500 in his jjocket,
and catered the office of ex-Judge
E. D. Culver as student. After
being admitted to the bar he formed
a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate,
Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing
in the West, and for three months they roamed about
in the Western States in search of an eligible site,
but in the end returned to New York, where they
hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success^
ful career almost from the start. General Arthur
soon afterward mArppd the daughter of Lieutenant

Herndon, of the United States Navy, who vifas lost at
sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in
recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa-
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthurs
nomination to the Vice Presidency, leaving two
children.

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity
in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit,
brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had
been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior
Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon^.
athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with
his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when
they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided
that they could not be held by the owner under the
Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from
the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the
Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal,
Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed
to represent the People, and they won their case,
whicli then went to the Supreme Court of the United
States. Charles O'Conor here espoused the cause
cf the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs
Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward
the emancipation of the black race.

Another great service was rendered by General
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings,
a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth
Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare,
General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a
verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa-
ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride
on their cars, and the other car companies quickly

734281

CHESTER A. ARTHUR.

followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave-
nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per-
sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all.

General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party.
Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the
Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov-
ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed hmi Engineer-
in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec-
tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas-
ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered
great service to the Government during the war. At
the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the
practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr.
Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney
of New York, was added to the linn. The legal prac-
tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra-
tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able
lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if
not indeed one of national extent.

He always took a leading part in State and city
politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of
New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc-
ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July,
20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt.

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous
National Republican Convention held at Chicago in
June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political
convention that ever assembled on the continent. It
was composed of the 'eading politicians of the Re-
publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and
fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their
respective candidates that were before the conven-
tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re-
ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur
for Vice-President. The campaign which followed
was one of the most animated known in the history of
our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of
the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his
party made a valiant fight for his election.

Finally the election came and the country's choice
>vas Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated
March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President.
A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen
President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then
came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of
anxious suspense, when the hearts of all civilized na-

tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re-
covery of the noble, the good President. The remark-
able patience that he manifested during those hours
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf-
fering man has often been called upon to endure, was
seemingly more than human. It was certainly God-
like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr.
Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his
credit that his every action displayed only an earnest
desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to
serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi-
ciously beguh. Not a selfish feeling was manifested
in deed or look of this man, even though the most
honored position in the world was at any moment
likely to fall to him.

At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar-
field from further suffering, and the world, as never
before in its history over the death of any other
man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of
the Vice President to ;.ssume the responsibilities of
the high office, and he took the oath in New York,
Sept. 20, 1881. The position was an embarrassing
one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all
eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do,
what policy he would pursue, and who he would se-
lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been
greatly neglected during the President's long illness,
and many important measures were to be immediately
decided by him; and still farther to embarrass him he
did not fail to realize under what circumstances he
became President, and knew the feelings of many on
this point. Under these trying circumstances President
Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own
hands ; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of
affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so
wisely that but few criticised his administration.
He served the nation well and fa-thfully, until the
close of his administration, March 4, 18S5, and was
a popular candidate before his party for a second
term. His name was ably presented before the con-
vention at Chicago, and was received with great
favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity
of one of the opposing candidates, he would have
been selected as the standard-bearer of his party
for another campaign. He retired to private life car-
rying with him the best wishes of the American peo-
ple, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory
to them and with credit to himself.

TJir; r"!;:.-.'; york
l^finUC LIBRARY

*5'OR. LENOX
TILDrN FOUNDATIONS-

yl.^^rt^yr' C/^^<.^(lyiy\J'J^

TWENTY-SECOND PRESIDENT.

'03

\'i^^A^V£jA

■4^-s;^^^;^^^j^€*^r^4'-^v^

\xu'ntx Cleiaefawl

- or^

TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE-
LAND,thetwenty-second Pres-
ident of the United States, was
born in 1837, in the obscure
town of Caldwell, Essex Co.,
■'' ' N. J., and in a little two-aiid-a-
half-story white house which is still
standing, characteristically to mark
the humble birth-place of one of
America's great men in striking con-
trast with the Old World, where all
men high in office must be high in
origin and born in the cradle of
wealth. When the subject of this
sketch was three years of age, his
father, who was a Presbyterian min-
ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved,
by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to
Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a
larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most
straggling of country villages, about five miles from
Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was boru.

At the last mentioned place young Grover com-
menced going to school in the " good, old-fashioned
way," and presumably distinguished himself after the
manner of all village boys, in doing the things he
ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of
all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he
arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the
capacity of the village school and expressed a most

emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this
his father decidedly objected. Academies in those
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to
become self-supporting by the quickest possible
means, and this at that time in Fayette/ille seemed
to be a position in a country store, where his father
and the large family on his hands had considerable
influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services
the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to
receive $ioo the second year. Here the lad com-
menced his career as salesman, and in two years he
had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness
that his employers desired to retain him for an in-
definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex-
hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or
eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy.
Bat instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette-
ville, he went with the family in their removal to
Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a
high school. Here he industriously pursued his
studies until the family removed with him to a point
on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a
village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica,
N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching
but three Sundays. This event broke up the family,
and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a
small salary, the position of '* under-teacher " in an
asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two
years, and although he obtained a good reputation in
this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his

104

S. GROVE R CLEVELAND.

calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order,
he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going
to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as
there was some charm in that name for him; but
before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to
isk the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted
stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not
speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do,
my boy.'" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study
law," was the reply, " Good gracious ! " remarked
the old gentleman ; " do you, indeed .' What ever put
that into your head? How much money have you
got.*" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got
any."

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a
place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a
year, while he could "look around." One day soon
afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers,
Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he
wanted. A number of young men were already en-
gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and
fte was finally permitted to come as an office boy and
tiave the use of the law library, for the nominal sum
of $3 or %\ a week. Out of this he had to pay for
his board and washing. The walk to and from his
uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his
shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had
none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular.
On the first day of his service here, his senior em-
ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him
with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's
where they all begin." A titter ran around the little
circle of clerks and students, as they thought that
was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ;
Dut in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume.
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland
exhibited a talent for e.xecutiveness rather than for
chasing principles through all their metaphysical
possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do
it," was practically his motto.

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was
elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in
which Buffalo is situated ; and in such capacity it fell
to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two
criminals. In i88r he was elected Mayor of the
City of Buffalo, oa the Democratic ticket, with es-
pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms

in the administration of the municipal affairs of that
city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his
performance of duty has generally been considered
fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer-
reted out and magnified during the last Presidential
campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in
a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniqui-
tous street-cleaning contract : " This is a time for
plain speech, and my objection to your action shall
be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of
a mos bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme
to betray the interests of the peopls and to worse
than squander the people's money," The New York
Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve-
land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there-
upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire
State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882,
and his administration of the affairs of State was
generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if
any, were made very public throughout the nation
after he was nominated for President of the United
States. For this high office he was nominated July
II, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at
Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F.
Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks,
Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he
was elected by the people, by a majority of about a
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub-
lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve-
land resigned his office as Governor of New York in
January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as
the Chief Executive of the United States, in which
capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of
March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected
the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State,
Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the
Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary
of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ;
Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New
York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of
Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas,
of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of
Arkansas.

The silver question precipitated a controversy be-
tween those who were in favor of the continuance of
silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr.
Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his
inauguration.

THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR. LENOX

- ' • -OPTIONS

^

, c>V^

^^2x?^^n.'i'<s^'t?*-'2^

TWENTY-THIRD PRESIDENT.

107

A^^^^AJfeSA.^^^

5>gl^|S22^l2^ ^^M^3?mon^ ^|

••o*o..@^V@..o*o..

•lENJAMIN HARRISON, the
twenty-tliird President, is
tlio descendant of one of the
liistorical families of this
country. The head of the
family was a IMajor General
Harrison, one of Oliver
Cromwell's trnsted follow-
ers and fighters. In the zenith of Crom-
well's power it became the duty of this
Harrison to participate in the trial of
Charles I, and afterward to sign the
death warrant of the king. He subse-
quently paid for this with his life, being
hung Oct. 13, 1660. His descendants
came to America, and the nest of the
family that appears in history is Benja-
cain Harrison, of Virginia, great-grand-
father of the subject of this sketch, and
after wbom he was named. Benjamin Harrison
was a member of the Ctmtinental Congress during
the years i774-5-6, and was one of the original
signers of the Declaration of Independence. He
was three times elected Governor of Virginia.
Gen William Ilcniy Harrison, the son of the

distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a suc-
cessful career as a soldier during the War of 1812,
and with -a clean record as Governor of the North-
western Territory, was elected President of the
United States in 1840. His career was cut short
by death within one month after his inauguration.
President Harrison was born at North Bend,
Hamilton Co., Ohio, Aug. .''O, 1833. His life up to
the time of his graduation by the Miami University,
at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a coun-
try lad of a family of small means. His father was
able to give him a good education, and nothing
more. He became engaged while at college to the
daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of a female school
at Oxford. After graduating he determined to en-
ter upon the study of the law. He went to Ciu
oinnati and then read law for two years. At the
expiration of that time young Harrison received th5
only inheritance of his life; his aunt dying left him
a lot valued at $800. He regarded this legacy as a
fortune, and decided to get married at once, taks
this money and go to some Eastern town an ". be-
gin the practice of law. He sold his lot, and with
the money in his pocket, he started out witu his
young wife to fight for a place in the world, lie

lot

BENJAMIN liARRlSON.

decided to go to Indianapolis, which was even at
tliat time a town of promise. He met with slight
iiicouragement at first, making scarcely anything
liie first year. He worked diligently', applying him-
self closely to his calling, built up an extensive
practice and took a leading rank in the legal pro-
.ession. He is the father of tvvo children.

In 186G Mr. Harrison was nominated for the
position of Supreme Court Repoitcr, and tlien be-
gan his experience as a stump speake: He can-
vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by a
handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the 17th
Indiana Infantry', and was chosen its Colonel. His
regiment was composed of the rawest of material,
out Col. Harrison employed all his time at first
mastering military tactics and drilling his men,
■when he therefore came to move toward the East
with Sherman his regiment was one of the best
^Jrilled and organized in the army. At Resaca he
especially distinguished himself, and for his bravery
nt Peachtree Creek he was made a Brigadier Gen-
eral, Gen. Hooker speaking of him in the most
oomplimenlarj' terms.

During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the field,
.he Supreme Court declared the office of the Su-
preme Court Reporter vacant, and another person
was elected to the position. From the time of leav-
ing Indiana with his regiment until the fall of 186-1
he had taken no leave of absence, but having been
nominated that year for the same office, he got a
thirty-day leave of absence, and during that time
made a brilliant canvass of the State, and was elected
for another terra. He then started to rejoin Sher-
ffian, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet
iever, and after a most trjing siege made his way
to the front in time to participate in the closing
incidents of the war.

In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined z re-election as
reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 1876
ce w.as a candidate for Governor. Although de-
eated, the brilliant campaign he made won for him
a National reputation, and he w.as much sought, es-
pecial.y in the East, to make speeches. In 1880,
as usual, he took an active part in the campaign,
and wac elected to the United States Senate. Here
he served six years, and 7;as known as one oi the
Ablest men, best lawyerr ^nd strongest debaters in

that body. With the expiration of his Senatorial
term he returned to the practice of his profession,
becoming the head of one of the strongest firms in
the State.

The political campaign of 1888 was one of the
most meraoralile in the history of our country. The
convention which assembled in Chicago in June and
named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bearer
of the Republican party, was great in ever}' partic-
ular, and on this account, and the attitude it as-
sumed upon the vital questions of the day, chief
among which was the tariff, awoke a deep interest
in the campaign throughout the Nation. Shortly
after the nomination delegations began to visit Mr.
Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This move-
ment became popular, and from all sections of the
country societies, clubs and delegations journeyed
thither to pay their respects to the distinguished
statesman. The popularity of these was greatly
increased on account of the remarkable speeches
made by Mr. Harrison. He spoke daily all through
the sunnner and autumn to these visiting delega-
tions, and so varied, masterly and eloquent were
his speeches that they at once placed him in the
foremost rank of American orators and statesmen.

On account of his eloquence as a sjieaker and his
power as a debater, he was called upon at an uu-
corcmonl}' early age to take part in the discussion
of the great questions that then began to agitate
the country. He was an uncompromising ant:
slavery man, and was matched against some of tLe
most eminent Democratic speakers of his State.
No man who felt the touch of his blade deiii-ed to
be pitted with him again. With all his eloq-'ence
as an orator he never spoke for oratorical effect,
but his words always went like bullets to tlie mark
He is purely American in his ideas and is a splec
did type of the American statesman. Gifted witli
quick perception, a logical mind and a read\' tongue,
he is one of the most distinguished impromptu
speakers in the Nation. Many of these speeches
sparkled with the rarest of eloquence and contained
arguments of greatest weight. Many of his terse
statements have already become aphorisms. Origi-
nal in thought, precise in logic, terse in statement,
3'et withal faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as
the sound statesman and brill iaa" orator o-' tuc day

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COA'KUA'OHS OK IOWA.

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*^ N8P:L BRIGGS, the first
4j g'cntlemfm chosen to fill the

jjV gubernatorial chair of Iowa
after its organization as a
State, was a native of Ver-
mont, and was Ijoni Feb. 3,
1806. His parents, who likewise
were New Englanders, were Ben-
jamin and Electa Briggs. The
bo3'hood of our subject was
passed in his native State, and in at-
tendance upon the common schools
he received a fair education which
was subsequently improved by a
tejS term at Norwich Academy. When
I a _voung man he removed witli his
parents to Cambridge, Guernsey Co., Ohio, where
young Briggs engaged in the work of establishing
stage lines. lie also here embarked in political
affairs and as a AVhig run for the office of County
Auditor but was defeated by John Ferguson, a
Jackson Democrat.

After remaining in Ohio for six j'ears, the glow-
ing accounts of the fair fields and the fertile prairies
of the Territory of Iowa, led him westward across
the Father of "Waters. He had jireviously united
hi.= fortunes in life with Nancy M. Dunlap, daugh-
ter cf Major Dunlap, an officer in the War of 1.S12.
Even prior to this marriage he had chosen a wife,
ft ladj' who was born on the same day and j'ear as
himself, but of whom he was soon bereft. He
ii'Ought with him to Iowa his little family and lo-
cated at Anibi^w. in -T'lokson 1'oiuitv. See'L^tf the

opportunity here for resuming his former business,
he began opening up stage lines, frequently' driving
the old stage coach himself. He made several con-
tracts with the Postofflee Department for caiiying
the United States mails weekly between Dubuque
and Davenport, Dubuque and Iowa City and other-
routes, thus opening up and carr3''ing on a very im-
portant enterprise. Politically, Gov. Briggs was a
Democrat, and on coming to Iowa identified him-
self with that party. In 1842 he was chosen a
member of the Territorial House of Representatives
from .Jackson County, and subsequently was elected
Sheriff of the same county. He had taken a lead-
ing part in public affairs, and upon the formation of
the State Government in 184(!, iie became a prom-
inent candidate for (Tovernor, and though his com-
petitors in hi:? own part}' were distinguished and
well-laiown citizens, IMr. Briggs received the nom-
ination. The convention was held in Iowa City,
on Thursday, Sept. 24, 184G, and assembled to
nominate State officers and! two Congressmen. It
was called to order by I*". D. Mills, of Des Jloines
County. William Thompson, of Henry Count}',
presided, and J. T. Fales, of Dubuque, was Secre-
tary. Tho vote for (xovernor in the convention
stood: Briggs, sixty-two; Jesse Williams, thirty-
two, and W^illiam Thompson, thirty-one. The two
latter withdrew, and Briggs was then chosen by ac-
clamation. Elislia Cutler, Jr., of Van Buren Coun-
ty, was nominated for Secretary of State; Joseph
T. Fales, of Linn, for Auditor, and Morgan Reno,
of .Johnson, for Treasurer. S. C. Hastings and
Sliepercl Leffler were nominated for Congress. The

112

ANSEL BRIGGS.

I'lci'tion was held Oct. 2H, 1S4G, the entire Demo-
eratic ticket being successful. Brigg's received
7,G2G votes and his competitor, Thomas INIcKnight,
the Whig candidate, 7,379, giving Briggs a major-
ity of "247.

Tlie principal question lietween the two leading
parties, the Democratic and the AVliig. at this period,
was that of tlie Itanking system. It is related that
I short time priiir to the meeting of the conven-
iion whii-li nominated Mr. Briggs, that in offering
I toast at a banquet, he struck the kej'-note which
made him the pt>iiular man of the hour. lie said,
"No banks but earth and they well tilled." This
was at once caught up by his party and it did more
to secure him the nomination than anything else.
His administration was one void of any special in-
terest. He labored in harmonious accoi'd with his
party, yet frequently exhiljited an independence of
principle, characteristic of his nature. The Mis-
souri boundaiy question which caused a great deal
of excited controversy at this period, and even a
determination to resort to arms, was handled by
him with great ability.

On his election as Executive of the State, Gov.
Briggs sold out his mail contract, but after the ex-
piration of his term of service he continued his
residence in Jacks(jn County. In 1870 he removed
to Council Bluffs. He had visited the western
part of the State before the day of railroads in that
section, making the trip by carriage. On the occa-
sion he enrolled himself as one of the founders of
the town of Florence on the Nebraska side of the
river and six miles above Council Bluffs, and which
for a time was a vigorous rival of Omaha. Dur-
ing the mining excitement, in 1860, he made a trip
to Colorado, and three years later, in company
witli his son John and a large party, went to
Montana, where he remained until the year

18G5, when he returned to liis home in Iowa.

As aI)ove stated, Gov. Briggs was twice married,
his first wife being his companion fc;r ;- brief time
only. His second wife bore him eight children, all
of whom died in infancy save two, and of these lat-
ter, Ansel, Jr., died May 15, 18G7, aged twenty-
five years. John S. Briggs, the only survivor of
the family, is editor of the Idaho Herald, pnblislied
at Blackfoot, Idaho Territory. Mrs. Briggs died
Dec. 30, 1847, while her husband was Governor of
the State. She was a devoted Christian lady, a
strict member of the Presliyterian Church, and a
woman of strong domestic tastes. She was highly
educated, and endowed by nature with that
womanly tact and grace which enabled her to adorn
the high position her husband had attained.
She dispensed a bounteous hospitality, though her
home was in a h_>g house, and was highly esteemed
and admired by all who met her.

Gov. Briggs went in and out among his people
tor many years after his retirement from the execu-
tive office, and even after his return from the Mon-
tana expedition. He was adnured for his able
services rendered so unselfishly during the pioneer
period of the now great and populous State. His
last illness, ulceration of the stomach, was of brief
dnrati(jn, lasting onlj' five weeks, indeed c)nly three
days before his death he was able to be out. His
demise occurred at the residence of his son, John
S. Briggs, in Omaha, Neb., at half-past three of the
morning of May 5, 1881. His death was greatly
mourned all over the State. Upon the following
day, Gov. Gear issued a proclamation reciting his
services to the State, ordering half-hour guns to be
fired and the national flag on the State capitol to
be put at half-mast during the day ujion which
the funeral was held, which was the following Sun-
day succeeding his death.

T"
PU.

'YORK
3RARY

A'-^Ot. I rM^x

GOVKUISOltS UK IOWA.

n.'.

--V.:^-^^v^^^t5^^^<=-V-

'^ TEPHEN HEMPSTEAD, sec
oiul Governor of Iowa, is a
native of Connecticut, wliere,
at New London, lie was I)()rn
!.> Oct. 1, 1812. He resided in
that .State with his parents
until 182.S, when the family
came West, locating upon a farm
near Saint Louis. This was the
home of _young Stephen until 1830,
when he went to Galena, 111., wliere
he served in the capacity of a clerk
in a commission house for a time.
He was there during the exciting
period of the Black Hawk troubles,
and was an oflicer in an artillery
eomiiany which had been organized for the protec-
tion of Galena. After tlie defeat of Black Hawk
and the consequent terniinatii.>n of Indian trouliles,
he entered the Illinois College at .Jacksonville,
where he remained for aljout two years. On ac-
coni.^ of dillit'ulties which he got into about
sect? nan icrn and abolitionism, he left the college
and ref'.rned to Missouri. He shortly afterward
entered the office of Charles S. Hempstead, a prom-
inent lawyer of Galena, and began the stud)' of tlie
profession in wliieh he afterward became cpiite pro-

ficient. In 183G he was admitted to practice in all
the courts of the Territory of Wisconsin, which at
the time embraced the Territory of Iowa, and the
same year located at Dubucpie, being the first law-
yer who began the practice of his profession at that
place.

As might lie expected in a territory but thinl}'
popnlated, but one which was rapidly' settling up,
the services of an alile attorne}' would be in de-
mand in order to draft tlie laws. Upon the organ-
ization of the Territorial Government of Iowa in
1838, he was, with Gen. Warner Lewis, elected to
represent the northern i)ortion of the Territory in
the Legislative Council, which assembled in Bur-
lington that vear. He was Chairman of the Com-
mittee Judiciary, and at the second session of that
body was elected its President. He was again
elected a member of the Council, in 1845, over
which he also presided. In 1844 he was electe<l
one of the delegates of Dubucpie Count}', for the
first convention to frame a constitution for the
State. In 1848, in ccmipany with Judge Cnarles
Mason and W. G. Woodward, he was ajjpointecl
l)y the Legislature Commissioner to revise the laws
of the State, which revision, with a few amend-
ments, was adopted as the code of Iowa in 18.51.

In 1850 Mr. Hempstead was elected Governor of

116

■ STEPHEN HEMPSTEAD.

the State, and served with ability for four years,
that being the full term- under the Conj^titutlon at
the time. He received 13,486 votes against 11,-
403 cast for his oiiiionent, James L. Thompson.
After the vote had been canvassed a committee
was appointed to inform the (4overnor-elect that
the two Houses of the Legislature were ready to re-
ceive him in joint convention, in order that lie
might receive the oath prescribed by the Constitu-
tion. Gov. Hempstead, accompanied bj' the retir-
ing Executive, Gov. Briggs, the Judges of the Su-
preme Court and the oHicers of State, entered the
hall of the House where the Governor-elect deliv-
ered his inaugural message, after which the oath
was administered by the Chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court. This was an important period in the
history of the State, being at a time when the pul)-
lic affairs were assuming definite shape, and indeed
it was what might be termed the formative period.
The session of the Legislature passed many import-
ant acts which were approved by the Governor, and
during his term there were fifty-two new counties
formed. Gov. Hempstead in his message to the
Fourth General Assembly in December, 1852,
stated that among other things, the population of
the State according to the Federal census was 192,-
214, and that the State census showed an increase
for one year of 37,786. He also stated that there-
sources of the State for the coming two years
■would be sufficient to cancel all that ]3art of funded
debt which was payable at its opti(jn.

Among the numerous counties organized was one
■yarned Buncombe, which received its name in the
.'ollowing way^: The Legislature was composed of a
iirge majority favoring stringent corjjoration laws
and the liability of individual stoclvholders for cor-
7)ara';a debts. This sentiment, on account of the
agitation of railroad enterprises then being inaugu-
rated, brought a large number of prominent men
lO the capital. To have an effect upon the Legis-
Jiture, they organized a " lobby Legislature " and
ilectea as Governor, Verplank Van Antwerp, who
leliversd to the self-constituted body a lengthy
message in which he sharply criticized the regular
General Assemblj-. Some of the members of the
latter were in the habit of making long and useful
speeches much to the hindrance of business. To

these he especially referred, charging them with
speaking for " Buncombe," and recommended that
as a lasting memorial a county should lie called by
that name. This suggestion was readily seized on
by the Legislature, and the county of Buncombe
was created with few dissenting voices. However,
the General Assembly, in 18G2, changed the name
to Lyon, in honor of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon who was
killed in the early part of the Civil War.

The season of 1851 was one of great disappoint-
ment to the pioneers of Iowa, and much suffering
was the result of the bad season of that year. By
the year 1854, the State had fully recovered from
the dejM-ession thus producetl, and that year as well
as the following, the emigration from the East was
unprecedented. The prairies of Illinois were lined
day after day with a continuous caravan of emi-
grants pushing on toward Iowa. During -a single
month 1743 wagons bound for Iowa passed through
Peoria. So remarkable had been the influx of peo-
ple into the State, that in an issue of the Burling-
ton Telegraph appeared the following statement:
" Twenty thousand emigrants have passed through
the city within the last thirty days, and they are
still crossing the Mississippi at the ra£e of 600 a day."

At the expiration of his term of service, which
occurred in the latter part of the year 1854, Gov.
Hempstead returned to his old home at Dubuque.
In 1855 he was elected County Judge of Dubuque
County, and so acceptably did he serve the people
that for twelve years he was chosen to fill that posi-
tion. Under his administration the principal
county building, including the jail, poorhousc, as
well as some valuable bridges, were erected.
Owing to ill-health he was compelled to retire from
public life, i)assing the remainder of his days in
quietude and repose at Dubuque. There he lived
until Feb. 16, 1883, when, at his home, the light of
his long and eventful life went out. The record
he has made, which was an honorable and distin-
guished one, was closed, and Iowa was called u;:on
to mourn the loss of one of her most distinguished
pioneer citizens. He had been an unusually iisefnl
man of the State and his services, which were able
and wise, were rendered in that unselfish spirit
which distingiushed so many of the early residents
of this now prosi>eroiis State.

THE NE'"'
PUBLIC LL

-' OR. LENOX
FOUN'DATiONS

^

C«^-5

GOVERNORS OF IOWA.

110

--■^','».^tgA-.: , , . , , . ... .,. ... J. ... ^ J.. .. .. ... .-. ... i J. 0, .-, ^ 4. i i i J. ...";ii^'-ii '!^-.

^p?:

AMES W. GRIMES, the
third geiitlfniau tu fill the
Executive Chair of the State
of Iowa, was born in the
town of Deering, Hillsbor-
ough Co., N. II., Oct. 20,
1810. His parents, John and
Elizabeth ('\Vils«in) Grimes, were
als(.) natives of the same town.
''to The former was born on the 11th
of August, 1772, and the mother
March 19, 1773. They became the
parents of eight children, of whom
James was the youngest and be-
came one of the most distinguished
citizens of Iowa. He attended the
district schools, and in earl}^ childhood evinced an
unusual taste for learning. Besides attending the
district schools, the village pastor instructed him
in Greek and Latin. After completing his prepar-
ations for college, which he did at Hampton Acad-
emy, he entered Dartmouth College, in August,
1832, which was in the sixteenth year of his age.
He was a hard student, advanced rapidly, and in
February, 1835, bid adieu to the college halls, and
with James Walker, of Peterborough, Js. H., he be-
gan tbn study of his chosen profession.

Feeling that his native State afforded too limited
advantages, and, in tact, being of a rather advent-
urous disposition, as well as ambitious, he desired
broader fields in which to carve for himself a tort-
une. He accordingly left the home that hail
sheltered him during his boyhood days, and turn-
ing his face Westward proceeded initil he had
crossed the great Father of Waters. It was m
1836, and young Grimes was indeed young to thus
take upon himself such responsibilities; but pos-
sessing business tact, determinatiov. and tenacity,
as well as an excellent professional training, he de-
termined to open an office in the then new town of
lUirlington, Iowa. Here he hung out his shingle,
and ere long had established a reputation which
extended far beyond the confines of the little city.

In April. 1837, he was appointed City Solicitor,
and entering upon the duties of that office he
assisted in drawing up the first police laws of that
town. In 1838 he was appointed Justice of the
Peace, and became a law partner of William W.
Chapman, United States District Attorne}' for
Wisconsin Territorj'. In the early part of tiie year
1841 he formed a partnership with Henry W. Starr,
Esq., which continued twelve years. This firm
stood at the head of the legal profession in Iowa.
Mr. Grimes was widely known as a counselor with

120

JAMES AV. GRIMES.

siilierior knowledge of the law, and with a clear
sense of truth and justice. He was chosen one of
the Representatives of Des Moines County in the
first Legislative Assembly of the Territorj' of Iowa,
v.-hich convened at Burlington, Nov. 12, 1838; in
the sixth, at Iowa City, Dec. 4, 1843; and in the
fc".:: th General Assembly of the State, at Iowa City,
Dec. G, 1852. He early took front rank among the
public men of Iowa. He was Chairman of the
Judiciary Committee in the House of Representa-
tives of the first Legislative Assembly of the Ter-
ritory, and all laws for the new Territorj' passed
through his hands.

Mr. Grimes had l)ecome prominently identified
with the Whig part}', and being distinguished as an
able lawyer, as well as a fair-minded, conscientious
man, he was a prominent candidate for Governor
before the convention which met in Feljruary, 1 854.
It was the largest convention of that party ever
held in Iowa and the last. He was chosen as a nom-
inee for Governor, was duly elected, and in Decem-
ber, 1854, assumed the duties of the office. Shortly
after his election it was proposed that he should go
to the United States Senate, but he gave his ad-
mirers to understand that he was determined to fill
the term of office for which he had been chosen,
'i'liis he did, serving the full term to the entire sat-
isfaction <jf all parties. He was a faithful party
leader, and so able were his services that, while at
the time of his election as Governor Democracy
reigned supreme in the State and its representatives
in Congress were allied to the slave power, he
turned the State over to the Repnljliean part}^

His terra of office expired Jan. 14, 1858, when
he retired from the Executive Chair, only, how-
ever, to assume the responsibilities of a United
States Senator. Upon the 4th of Marcli of the fol-
lowing year he took his seat in the Senate and was
placed upon the Ci>mmittee on Naval Aft'aiis, upon
which he remained during his Senatorial career,
serving as Chairman of that important committee
from December, 1864. Jan. 16, 1864, Mr. Grimes
was again chosen to represent Iowa in the Senate
of the United States, receiving all but six of the
votes of the General Assembly in joint convention.

His counsel was often sought in matters of great
moment, and in cases of peculiar difficulty. Al-

ways ready to promote the welfare of the State, he
gave, unsolicited, land worth $6,000 to the Congre-
gational College, at Giinnell. It constitutes the
" Grimes foundation," and •• is to be applied to the
establishment and maintenance in Iowa College,
forever, of four scholarships, to be awarded by the
Trustees, on the recommendation of tlie faculty, to
the best scholars, and the most promising, in any
department, who may need and seek sucli aid, and
without any regard to the religious tenets or opin-
ions entertained by any person seeking either of
said scholarships." These terms were imposed by
]\Ir. Grimes, and assumed July 20, 1865, by the
Trustees. He received tlie honorary' degree of
LL.D. in 1865 from Dartmouth College, and also
from Iowa College. He'also aided in founding a
public library in Burlington, donating $5,000. which
was expended in tlie purchase of costly books, and
subsequently sent from I>urope 256i volumes in the
German language, and also contributed 600 vol-
umes of public documents.

In January, 1S60. he made a donation of $5,000
to Dartmouth College, and $1,000 to the " Soflal
Friend," a literary society of which he was a mem-
ber when in college.

His health failing, Mr. Grimes sailed for Europe,
April 14, 1869, remaining abrotd two years,
reaching home Sept. 22, 1871, apparently in ini-
[iroved health and spirits. In Novemlier he cele-
brated his silver wedding, and spent the closing
months of his life with his family. He voted at
the city election, Feb. 5, 1872, and was suddenly
attacked with severe pains in the region of the
heart, and died after a few short hours of intense
suffering.

Senator Grimes was united in marriage at Bur-
lington, la., Nov. 9, 1846, with Miss Sarah Elizabeth
Neally. Mr. Grimes stood in the foremost ranks
among the men of his time, not only in the State
but of the nation. The young attorney who left
the granite hills of New Hampshire for the fertile
prairies of the AVest, distinguished himself both as
an attorney and a statesman. His personal history
is so inseparably interwoven in that of the history
of the State that a sketch of liis life is indeed but a
record of the history of liis adopted State during
the years of his mauhoi>d and vigor.

THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARYI

A^'OR. LENOX

.0 \ FOUNDATIONS

^%5fe.V

^.^-

GOVERNORS OF IOWA.

123

..0*0.-@Jv><r^..O*0..

.k^ALPH P. LOWE, the fourth

itSt^Sim, Oovernor of the State of
luwn, was liiiin in Ohio in
the year 1808. and liivp many
othtTS of the distinguished
men of Iowa, came Avithiu her
liorders in early pioneer
times. He was a young man
but a little (_>ver tiiirty years
of age when he enissed the great
Father of W.aters, settling upon its
western bank at the tlien small a ill-
age of Museatine. He at onee
identified himself with the interests
of the growing city, and ere long-
became (juite prominent in local
affairs and of recognizi'd ability in
qne.«tions of public policy. He was shortly after-
ward chosen as a representative from Blnseatine
County to the Constitntional Convention of 1844,
which framed the C^onstitntion which was rejected
by the people.

After this constitutional convention, Mr. Lowe
took no further part in ])nlilic matters for a num-
ber of years. He removed to Lee County about
1849 or '50, where he became District Judge as a
successor to George H. Williams, who was after-
ward famous as President Grant's Attorney Gen-
eral. He was District Judge five years, from 1852
to 1857, benig succeeded by Judge Claggett. In
the summer of 1857 he was nominated by the Re-
publicans for Governor of Iowa, with Oran Faville
for Lieutenaut;-Govemor. The Democracy put in

the field Benjamin M. Samuels for Governor and
George (;illaspy for Lieutenant-Governor. There
was a third ticket in the field, suinjorted liy the
American or "Know-Nothing" party, and bearing
the names of T. F. Henry and Easton Morris.
The eleeti(_)n was held in (Jctober, 1857, and ga\«
Mr. Lowe 38,4'.)8 votes, against 30,088 for Mr.
Samuels, and 1,00G for Mr. Henry.

Ilitlicrto tlie term of (.>lHce had been four years
but by an amendment to the Constitution this was
now reduced to two. Gov. Lowe was inaug-
urated Jan. 14, 1858, and at once sent his first
message to the Legislature. Among the measures
passed by this Legislature were l)ills to incorporate
the State Bank of Iowa; to provide for an agricult-
ural college; to authorize the business of banking;
disposing of the land grant made by Congress to
the Des Moines Valley Railroad; to proviile for
the erection of an institution for the education of
the blind, and to provide for talving a State census.

Ko events of importance occurred durnig the
administratii.in of Gov. Lowe, but it was not a
period of uninterrupted [)rosi)erit3'. Tiie (Jovernor
said in his biennial message of Jan. 10, 1860,
reviewing the preceeding two years: "The period
that has elapsed since the last biennial session has
been (jne oi great disturbing causes, and of anxious
solicitude to all classes of our fellow-citizens. The
first year of this jieriod was visited witli heavy and
continuous rains, which reduced the measiu'e of
our field crops lielow one-half of the usual product,
wliilst the financial revulsion which commenced
upon the Atlantic coast in the autumn of 1857, did

12

RALPH P. LOWE.

not reacli its climax for evil in our borders until
the year just past."

He referred at length to the claim of the State
•i^aiust the Federal (Tovernment, and said that he
!i:ul appealed in vain to the Secretary of the Inte-
rior for the paj-ment of the 5 per cent upon the
military land warrants that the State is justly en-
titled to, which then approximated to a million of
dollars. The pa3'ment of this fund, he said, " is
not a mere favor which is asked of the General
Government, but a subsisting right which could be
enforced in a court of justice, were there a tribunal
of this kind clothed with the requisite jurisdiction."

The subject of the-Des Moines River grant re-
ceived from the Governor special attention, and he
gave a history of the operations of the State author-
ities in reference to obtaining the residue of the
lands to which the State was entitled, and otlier in-
formation as to the progress of the work. He also
^•cniarked " that vnider the act authorizing the Gov-
ernor to raise a company of mounted men for de-
fense and protection of our frontier, approved
Feb. 9, 1858, a company of thirty such men, known
as the Frontier Guards, armed and equipped as re-
quired, were organized and mustered into service
iiixler the command of Capt. Henry B. Martin, of
^\'ebster Cit3', about the 1st of March then follow-
ing, and were divided into two companies, one
stationed on the Little Sioux River, the other at
Sjiirit Lake. Their presence afforded security and
gave quiet to the settlements in that region, and
after a service of four months they were disbanded.

'■• Late in the fall of the year, however, great

alarm and constei'nation was again felt in the
region of Spirit Lake and Sioux River settlements,
l)roduced by the appearance of large numbers of
Indians on the border, whose bearing was insolent
and menacing, and who were charged with clan-
destinely running off the stock of the settlers.
The most urgent appeals came from these settlers,
invoking again the protection of the State. From
representations made of the imminence of their
danger and the losses abeady sustained, the Gov-
ernor summoned into the field once more the
frontier guards. After a service of four or five
months they were again discharged, and paid in the
manner prescribed in the act under which thc3' were
called out."

Gov. Lowe was beaten for the renoniiuation
by Hon. S. J. Kirkwood, who was considered
much the stronger man. To compensate him for
his defeat for the second term. Gov. Lowe
was appointed one of the three .Judges inider the
new Constitution. He drew the short term, which
expired in 1861, but was returned and served, all
told, eight years. He then returned to the prac-
tice of law, gradually working into a claim busi-
ness at Washington, to which city he removed
about 1874. In that citj' he died, on Saturday,
Dec. 22, 1883. He had a large family. Carleton,
one of his sons, was an officer in the Third Iowa
Cavalry during the war.

Gov. Lowe was a man of detail, accurate and
industrious. In private and public life he was
l)ure, upi'ight and honest. In religious faith he
was inclined to be a Spiritualist.

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>" - ^' "NDATIONS

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GOVERNORS OK IOWA.

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HE fifth Governor of Iowa
was Samuel J. Kirkwood.
lie was born in Hartford
County, Md., on his father's
farm, Dee. 20. IS 13. His
father was twice married,
first to a lady nanieil Coulson,
who became the motlier of two
sons. After the death of this
companion, the elder Kirkwood
was united in marriage with
Mary Alexander, who bore him
three f-hildren, all of whom were
sons. Of this little family Samuel
was the jovuigest, and when ten
years of age was sent to Washington City to at-
tend a .school taught by John JIcLeod, a relative of
the famil}-. Here he remained for four years, giv-
ing diligent attention to his studies, at the close of
which time he entered a drug store at Washington
as clerk. In this capacity he continued with the
exception of eighteen months, until he reached his
majority. During the interval referred to, yoinig
Kirkwood was living the life of a pedagogue in
York Count}', Pa.

In the year 183.3, Samuel quit Washington and
came westward to Richland County, Ohio. His
father and brother had preceded him from ]\Iary-
land, locating uiioua timliered farm in the Bucke3'e
State. Here Samuel lent them valuable assistance
in clearing the farm. He was ambitious to enter
the legal profession, and in the year 18-11, an oppor-

^i^^

">K" ' "C*

tunity was afforded him to enter the office o^
Thi;)mas W. Bartley, afterward Governor of Ohio.
The following two years he gave diligent applica-
tion to his books, and in 1843, was admitted to
practice by the Supreme Court of Ohio. He was
then fortunate enough to form an association in
the practice of his profession with his former pre-
ceptor, which relations continued for eight years.

From 1845 to 1849 he served as Prosecuting
Attorney of his county. In 1849 he was elected
as a Democrat to represent his county and district
in the Constitutional Convention. In 1851 Mr.
Bartley, his partner, having been elected to the
Supreme Judiciary of the State, Kirkwood formed
a partnership with Barnabas Barns, with whom he
continued to practice until the spring of 1855,
when he removed to the West.

Up to 1854 Mr. Kirkwood had acted with the
Democratic party. But the measures proposed and
sustained that year by the Democracy in Congress,
concentrated in what was known as the Kansas-
Nebraska Act, drove hini with hosts of anti-slavery
Democrats out of the party. He was besought by
the opposition in the " Richland District " to be-
come their candidate for Congress, but declined
In 1855 he came to Iowa and settled two miles
norihwest of Iowa Citj', entering into a partnership
with his brother-in-law, Ezekicl Clark, in the mill-
ing business, and kept aloof from iMililic affairs.
He could not long conceal his record and abilities
from his neighbors, however, and in 1850 he was
elected to the State Senate from the district com-

128

SAMUKL .T. KIRK WOOD.

posed of the counties of Iowa ami Johnson, and
served in the last session of the Legislature lield at
Iowa City and the first one held at Des JNIoines.

In 1859 Mr. Kirkwood was made the standai'd-
hcarer of the Republicans of Iowa, and though he
liad as able and popular a competitor as Gen. A.
C. Dodge, he was elected Governor of Iowa by a
majority of over 3,000. He was inaugurated Jan.
11, 1860. Before the expiration of his first term
came the great Civil War. As Governor, during
the darkest days of the Rebellion, he performed an
exceedingly important duty. He secured a prompt
response by volunteers to all requisitions by the
Federal Go^'ernment on the State for troops, so
that during his Governorship no " draft " took
place in Iowa, and no regiment, except the first,
enlistad for less than three years. At the same
time he maintained the State's financial credit.
The Legislature, at its extra session in 1861,
authorized the sale of iJSOO.OOO in bonds, to assist
in arming and equipping troops. So frugallj- was
this work done, that but $300,000 of the bonds
'vcre sold, and the remaining §.500,000 not having
been required, the bonds representing this amount
.vere destroyed by order of the succeeding Legis-
lature.

In October, 1801, Gov. Kirkwood was, with com-
paratively little opposition, re-elected — an honor
ficcorded for the first time in the history of the
State. His majority was about 18,000. During
his second term he was appointed bj' President
Lincoln to be INIinister to Denmark, Init he declined
to enter upon his di|il(imatic duties until the expir-
ation (_)f his ti'rm as Go\-eruiir. Tlie position was
kept open for him until that time, but, when it
came, pressing private l>usiness compelled a declin-
iition of tlie otHce altogether.

In January, ISiW;, he was a prominent candidate
before the Legislature for United States Senator.
Senator Harlan had resigned the Senatorship upon

his apiiointvncnt to the office of Secretar}' of the
Interior by Fi-esident Lincoln, just before hi^
death, but had withdrawn from the cabinet so(_)u
after the accession of Mr. Johnson to the Presi-
dency. In this way it happened that the Legisla-
tiu'e had two terms of United States Senator to fill,
a short term of two years, to fill Harlan's unexpired
term, and a long term of six years to immediately
succeed this; and Harlan had now become a candi-
date for his own successorship, to which Kirkwood
also aspired. L^ltimately, Kirkwood was elected
for the first and Harlan for the second term. Dur-
ing his brief Senatorial service, Kirkwood did not
hesitate to measure swords with Senator Sumner,
whose natural egotism had begotten in him an ar-
rogant and dictatorial manner, borne ^vitll humbly
until then by his colleagues, in deference to his
long experience and eminent ability, but unpalata-
ble to an independent Western Senator like Kirk-
wood.

At the close of his Senatorial term. ;\Iarcli 4,
1867, he resumed the practice of law, ^vhich a few
years later he relinquished to accept tlie Presidency
of the Iowa City Savings Bank. In 1875 he was
again elected Governor, and was inaugurated Jan.
13, 1876. He served but little over a year, as
early in 1877 he was chosen United States Senator.
He filled this position four years, resigning to be-
come Secretary of the Interior in President Gar-
field's Cabinet. In this office he was succeeded,
April 17, 1882, by Henry M. Teller, of Colorado.

Gov. Kirkwood I'eturned to Iowa Citj', his home,
where he still resides, being now advanced in years.
He was married in 1843, to Miss Jane Clark, a na-
tive of Ohio.

In 1886 JNIr. Kirkwood was nominated for Con-
gress by the Republicans of his district. Consider-
able interest was manifested in the contest, as both
the Labor and Democratic parties had popular can-
didates in the field.

THE h^.V YORK
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year ol

ILLIAM M. STONE, tlie
!^ sixth tloveriKir <if Iowa, was
i^^-i born Oct. 14, 1827. His
^ i„g parents, Truman and La-
vina (North) Stone, who
were of English ancestry,
moved to Lewis County, N.
Y., when AVilliam was but a
William's grandfather, Aaron
Stone, was in the second war with En-
gland. When our subject was six j'ears
of age his jiarents moved into Ohio, lo-
cating in Coshocton County. 1 Jke many
other self-made men, AVilliam M. had few
advantages. He never attended a .school
of any kind more than twelve months.
In boyhood he was for two seasons a team-driver
on the Ohio Canal. At seventeen he was ajipriMi-
ticed to the chairmaker's trade, and he followed
tli.at business until he was twenty-three years of
age, reading law meantime during his spare hours,
wherever he happened to be. He commenced at
Coshocton, with James Mathews, who afterward
became his father-in-law; continued his reading
with Gen. Lucius V. Pierce, of Akron, and finished
with Ezra B. Taylor, of Ravenna. He was admitted
to the bar in August, 1851, by Peter Hitchcock
and Rufus P. Ranney, Supreme Judges, holding a
term of court at Kaveuua,

After practicing three year.s at Coshocton with
his old preceptor, James Blathews, he, in November,
1854, settled in Knoxville, which has remained 'his
home since. The year after locating here Mr.
Stone purchased the Knoxville Journal, and was
one of the prime movers in forming the Republican
party in Iowa, being the first editor to suggest a
State Convention, which met Feb. 22, 18.56, and
completed the organization. In the autumn of the
same year he was a Presidential elector on the Re-
publican ticket.

In April, 1857, iSIr. Stone was chosen Judge of
the Eleventh Judicial District. He was elected
Judge of the Sixth Judicial District when the new
Constitution went into operation in 1858, and was
serving on the bench when the American flag was
stricken down at Fort Sumter. At that time,
Ai)ril, 1861, he was holding court in Fairfield,
Jeffers(jn County, and when the news came of the
insult to the old flag he immediatelj' adjourned
court and i)repared for what he believed to be UKire
inniortant duties — duties to his country.

In Jlay he enlisted as a private ; was made Can
tain of Co. B, Third Iowa Inf., and was subsc
quently promoted to ]\Iajor. AVith that regi:ne)\t
he was at the battle of Blue Mill, Mo., in Septem-
ber, 1861, where he w'as wounded. At Shiloh, the
following spring, he cc>mmanded the regim-jnt and
was taken prisuner, By order gf Jtift'ersou Pavia

132

WILLIAM M. STONE.

he was paroled for tlie time of forty days, witli
orders to repair to AVasliington, and if possible
secure an agreement for a cartel for a general ox-
eliange of i)risoners, and to retnrn as a prisoner if
he did not succeed. Failing to secure that result
w itliiu tlic period siiccitted, he returned to Rich-
niiind and liad liis parole extended flfteenda\'s; re-
pairing again to Washington, he effected his pur-
])0se and was exchanged.

In August, 18G2, he was appointed by Gov.
Kirkwood Colonel of the Twenty-second Iowa
Infantry, wliich rendezvoused and organized at
Cam}) Poi)e, Iowa City, the same month. Tlie
regiment was occupied f(_)r several montlis in guard-
ing supply stores and tlie railroad, and escorting
supply trains to the Army of the Southeast Mis-
souri until Jan. 27, 1803, when it received orders
to join the army uniler Gen. Davidson, at West
Plains, M(_). After a march of five days it readied
its destination, and was lirigaded with the Twenty-
first and Twenty-thinl Iowa regiments, Col. Stone
commanding, and was designated the First Brigade,
First Division. Army of Southeast ^lissouri. April
1 found Col. Stone at Milliken's Bend, La., to assist
Grant in tlie capture of Vicksburg. He was now
in immediate command of his regiment, wliich
formed a part of a lirigade under Col. C. L. Harris,
of the Eleventh Wisconsin. In the advance upon
Port Gibson Col. Harris was taken sick, and Col.
St'nie was again in charge of a brigade. In the
battle of Port Gibson the Colonel and his com-
mand distinguished tliewselves, and were successful.

The brigade was in the reserve at Champion Hills,
and in active skirmish at Black River.

On the evening of May 21 Col. Stone received
Gen. Grant's order for a general assault on the
enemy's lines at 10 A. M. on the 22d. In this
charge, wliich was unsuccessful. Col. Stone was
again wounded, receiving a gunshot in the left
forearm. Col. Stone commanded a brigade until
the last of August, wlien, being ordered to the Gulf
Deiiartment, he resigned. He had become very
popular witli the people of Iowa.

He was nominated in a Republican convention,
held at Des Jloines in June, 1863, and was elected
by a very large majoritj'. Ht was breveted Brig-
adier-General in 18G4, during his first year as Gov-
ernor. He was inaugurated Jan. 14, 18G4, and was
re-elected in 1865, his four years in office closing '
Jan. 16, 1868. His majority in 1863 was nearly
30,000, and in 1865 about 16,500. His diminished
vote in 1865 was due to the fact tiiat he was very
strongly committed in favor of neyro suffrage.

Gov. Stone made a very energetic and efflcient
Executive. Since the expiration of liis gubernatorial
term he has sought to escaiie the public notice, and
has given his time to his private business interests.
He is ill partnership with Hon. O. B. Ayres, of
Knoxville, in legal practice.

He was elected to the General Assembly in 1877.
and served one term.

In May, 1857, he married Miss Carloaet Matliews,
a native of Oliio, tlien residing in Knoxville. They
have one son — William A,

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GOVERNORS OF IOWA.

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' AMUEL :\rF>RRILL, Governor
from ISij.s t<i 1S72, was liorn
in Oxford C'i>untv, Maine,
Aug. 7, 1822. He is a de-
•seendant on his mother's side
of Peter Hill, wlici eanie from
England and settled in Maine
in 1 (J.jo. From this aneestrv have
sprung most of the Hills in Ameri-
ea. On his father's side he is a de-
fendant of Natlianiel Merrill, who
eanie from England in llj.')ri,and lo-
eated in Massacluiselts. Nathaniel
ii.ad a son, Daniel, who in turn liad
a son named .John, and he in turn
.;at a son called Tlnjmas. The
latter was horn Dec. IS, 1708. On the 4th of Aug-
ust, 172.S. was horn to him a son, Samuel, who w.as
married and had a family of twelve children, one of
whcim, Abel, was taken by his father to Boston in
I7.")(). Abel was married to Elizabeth Page, who
had live children, one of whom, Abel, Jr., w.as the
f.-ither of our subject. He married Abigail Hill
.!une 2.'), 18(111, and to them were born eight chil-
dren, Samuel being the j-onngest but one. At the
age of sixteen Samuel mc>ved with his parents to
I'.nxton, Maine, the native place of his mother,
where his time was empli)yed in turns in teaching
and attending school until he attained his majority.
lla\ing determined to make teaching a profession,
and feeling that the South offered better ojiportu-
nitics. he immediately set out for that section. He

remained, however, but a short time, as he s.ays "he
was boi'n too far North." Suspicion having Ijeen
raised as to his almlition principles and finding the
element n< it altogether congenial, he soon abandoned
the sumiy South and went to the old Granite State,
where the next several years were spent in farming.
In 1847 he moved to Tamworth, N. H., where he
engaged in the mercantile business in company with
a brother, in which he was quite successful. Nt>t
being satisfied with the limited resources of North-
ern New England lu' determined to try his good
fortune <jn the In'oail jtrairies of the fertile AVest.

It was in the ye.ar 18.JG that Mr. Merrill turned
his face toward the setting sun, finding a desirable
location near McGregor, Iowa, where he established
a branch house of the old firm. The population in-
creased, as also did their trade, and their house be-
came one of the most extensive wholesale establish-
ments on the Upper Mississippi. During .all these
years of l)usine.ss Mr. Merrill took an active part in
politics. In 18.54 he w.as chosen on the ,aboliti<.)n
ticket to the Legislature of New Hampshire. The
following year he was again returned t(j the Legis-
lature, and doubtless had he remained in that State
would have risen still higher. Incoming to Iowa
his experience and ability were demanded by his
neighbors, and he was here called into public serv-
ice, lie was sent to the Legislature, and though
assembled with the most distinguished men of his
time, took a leading part in the important services
demanded of that body. The Legislature was con-
vened in an extra session of 1801, to provide for

I'i

SAMUEL MEUIULL.

the exigencies of the Kebellion, anrl in its deliber-
ations jMr. Merrill took an active pai't.

In the summer of 18G-2, Mr. jMerrill was commis-
sioned Colonel of the •21st Iowa Infantry, and im-
mediately went to the front. At the time Marma-
duke was menacing the Union forces in ISIissouri,
which called for prompt action on the part of the
I'nion Generals, Col. Merrill was placed in com-
mand, with detachments of the 21st Iowa and UDth
Illinois, a portion of the 3d Iowa Cavahy and two
pieces of artillery, with orders to make a forced
march to Springfield, he being at the time eighty
miles distant. On the morning of Jan. 11, 18()3,
he came across a body of Confederates who were
advancing in heavy force. Immediate preparations
for battle were made l)y Col. Merrill, and after brisk-
ly firing for an hour, the enemy fell back. Merrill
then moved in the direction of Hartville. where he
found the enemj' in force under ]\Iarniaduke, being
a1>out eight thousand strong, while Merrill had but
one-tenth of that number. A hot struggle ensued
in which the Twenty-first distinguished itself. The
Confederate loss was several officers and three hun-
dred men killed and wounded, while the I'nion loss
was but seven killed and sixtj'-four wounded. The
'"ollowing winter the regiment performed active
service, taking i)art in the campaign: of Vicksburg.
It fought under McClernand at Fort Gibson, and
while making the famous charge of Black River
Bridge, Col. Merrill was severely wounded through
the hip. lie was laid uj) from the 17tli of May to
.lanuary. when he again joined his regiment in
Texas, and in June, 18G4, on .account of suffering
from his wound, resigned and returned to Mc-
CJregor. In 18()7 Mr. Merrill was chosen Gov-
ernor of the State, being elected upon the Repub-
lican ticket. lie served with such satisfaction, that
in 1 SO'.) he was re-nominated and accordingly-
elected.

Under the administration of Gov. Merrill,
the movement for the erection of the new State
House was inaugurated. The Thirteenth Cieneral
Assemlily provided for tlie building at a cost of
$1,5(10,0(1(1, and made :in appropriation with which
to begin the work of •^l.j(t,(JOO. With this sum the
work was begun, and Nov. 23, 1871, the corner
stone was laid in the presence of citizens from all

parts of the State. On this occasion the Governor
delivered the address. It was an historical view of
the incidents culminating in the labors of the day
It was replete with historical facts, showed patient
research, was logical and argumentative, and at times
eloquent with the file and genius of American pa-
triotism. It is a paj)er worthy of the occasion,
and does justice to the head and lieart that con-
ceived it.

During the gubernatorial career of Gov. Mer-
rill, extending through two terms, from Janu-
ary, 1868, to January, 1872, he was actively en-
gaged in the discharge of his official duties, and
lDrol.ial)ly no incumbent of that office ever devoted
himself more earnestly to the public good, stand-
ing ))y the side of Gov. P^aircliild, of Wisconsin.
The two were instrumental in placing the slack-
water navigation between the Mississippi and the
Lakes in the way of idtimate and certain success.
The Governor treated this subject to great length
and with marked ability in his message to the Thir-
teenth Cieneral Assembl}', and so earnest was he in
behalf of this improvement, that he again discussed
it in his message to the Fourteenth General Assem-
bly. In the instigation of the woilc the Governore
of the different States interested, called conventions,
and through the delilierations of these assemljlies
the aid of the tk'neral Government was secured.

Samuel Merrill was first married to Catherine
Thomas, who died in 1847, fourteen months after
their marriage. In January, 1851, he was united
in marriage with a Miss Hill, of Buxton, Maine.
She became the mother of four children, three of
whom died 3-oung, the eldest living to be only two
and a half years old.

After the exjiiration of his public service he re-
turned to McGregor, but shortly' afterward removed
to Des Moines, where he is now residing, and is
President of the Citizens' National Bank.

Tiius briefly have been pointed out the leading
features in the life of one of Iowa's most promi-
nent citizens, and one who has made an honorable
record both in public positions and private enter-
prises. He is highly esteemed in the city where lie
resides and is regarded as tme of the faithful rep-
resentatives of the sons of New England. In stat-
ure he is fully sLx feet high and finely proportioned.

THE NEW YORK

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r. -J FOUNDATIONS

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GOVERNORS OF IOWA.

189

YRUS CLAY CARPENTI:R,

Governor of Iowa fvom 1872
to 1875, inclusive, was horn
in Susquehanna Countj'", Pa.,
■% Nov. 24, 1829. He was left-
M :ni ori)lian at an early age, his
mother (lying when he was at
tlie age of ten years, and his father two
years later. He was left in destitute
cireumstanets, and went first ti.> learn
the trade of a clothier, wliich, however,
he abandoned after a few months, and
engaged with a farmer, giving a term
in the winter, liowever, to attendance
upon the district school. When eighteen
he licgan teaching schoc)l, and the fol-
lowing four years divided his time between teach-
ing and attending the acadenij^ at Hartford. At
the eonclusit)n i>i this period he went to Ohio,
where he engaged as a teacher for a year and a
half, spending the summer at farm work.

In the year 18.54 Mr. Carpenter came furtlier
westward, visiting many points in Illinois and
Iowa, arriving at Des Moines, then a village of
some 1,200 inhabitants. This place, however, not
offering a favorable location, he proceeded on his
journey, arriving in Fort Dodge June 28, 1854.
Owing to liis being without funds he was compelled
to travel on foot, in which way the journey to Fort
Dodge was made, with his entire worldl}' posses-
sions in a carpet-sack which he carried in his hand.
He soon found employment at Fort Dodge, as as-
sistant to a Government surveyor. This work be-

ing completed, 3'oung Carpenter assisted his land-
lord in cutting hay, but soon secured another
position as a surveyor's assistant. In the early
part of the following .January he engaged in teach-
ing school at Fort Dodge, but in the spring was
employed to take charge <if a set of surveyors in
surveying the counties of Emmet and Kossuth.

On his return to Fort Dodge he found the land-
office, which had been estaljlished at that place,
was about to open for the sale of land. Being
fanuliar with the country and the location of the
Ijest land, he (_>pencd a private lanil-otfice, and
f(jund constant and profitable eniploj'ment for the
following three years, in platting and surveying
lands for those seeking homes. During this period
he became extensively known, and, being an active,
Uepul)lican, he was chosen as a standard-bearer for
his section of the State. He was elected to the
Legislature in the autumn of 1857. In 18G1, on
the breaking out of the Rebellion, he volunteered
and was assigned to duty as Commissary of Sub-
sistence, much of the time being Cliief Commissar}'
of the left wing of the IGth Army Corps. In 18G4
he was iiromoted Lieutenant-Colonel and assigned
to duty on the staff of Gen. Logan, .as Chief Com-
missary of the 1.5th Army Corps. He continued in
the service until the close of the war, and in
August, 1865, was mustered out.

Upon the close of his service to his country he
returned to his home at Fort Dodge, but, owing to
so many changes which had taken place, and .suck
an influx of enterprising men into the city, he
found his once prosperous business in the hands of

140

OYUUft CLAY CAUPENTER.

others. He turned his attention to the improve-
ment of a piece of land, where he remained until
his election, in the autumn of 18G6, as Register of
the State Land-Offlce. He was re-elected in 18C8,
and refused the nomination in 1870. This position
took him to Des Moines, but in 1870 he returned
to Fort Dodge. During the summer of the follow-
ing year he was nominated by the Republican party
for Governor. He was elected, and inaugurated as
Chief Executive of Iowa Jan. 11, 1872. In 1873
lie was renominated by his party, and October 14
of that year was re-elected, his inauguratit)n taking
pkce Jan. 27, 1874. Gov. Carpenter was an able,
popular and faithful Executive, and was regarded
as one of the most honest, prominent and unselfish
officials the State ever had. Plain, unassuming,
aiodest, he won his public position more thi-ough
;he enthusiasm of his friends than by anj' personal
effort or desire of his own. Everywhere, at all
times and upon all occasions, he demonstrated that
the confidence of his friends was justified. He took
an active part in the great question of monopolies
and transportation evils, which during his adminis-
tration were so prominent, doing much to secure
wise legislation in these respects.

Gov. Carpenter has been regarded as a public
speaker of more than ordinary ability, and has
apon many occasions been the orator, and always
appreciated by the people.

At the expiration of his second term as Governor
Mr. Carpenter was appointed Second Comptroller
of the United States Treasury, which position he
resigned after a service of fifteen months. This
step was an evidence of his unselfishness, as it was
taken because another Bureau officer was to be dis-
missed, as it was held that Iowa had more heads of
Bureaus than she was entitled to, and his resigning
Ml office of the higher grade saved the position to
another. In 1881 he was elected to Congress, and
served with ability, and in the Twentieth General
Assembly of Iowa he represented "Webster County.

G( ,. Carpenter was married, in March, 1864, to
Miss Susan Burkholder, of Fort Dodge. No chil-
dren have been born to them, but they have reared
a niece of Mrs. Carpenter's.

During his entire life Mr. Carpenter has been de-
:;oted to the principles of Reform and the best

interests of all classes of citizens who, by adoution
or by birth-right, are entitled to a home upon our
soil and the protection of our laws, under the great
charter of '• Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Hap-
piness." In an address in 1852 he took advanced
views upon the leading subjects of public interest,
lie had already laid the foundation for that love of
freedom which afterw.ards found an ample field of
labor with the Republican party. There was noth-
ing chimerical in his views. He looked at every
strata of human society, and, from the wants of the
masses, wisely devined duty and prophesied destiny.
He would have the people of a free Republic edu-
cated in the spirit of the civilization of the age.
Instead of cultivating a taste ft. c a species of liter-
ature tending directly to degrade the mind and
deprave the heart, thereby leading back to a state
of superstition and consequent barbarism, he would
cultivate principles of temperance, industry and
economy in every youthful mind, as the indispens-
able ingredients of good citizens, or subjects upon
whose banner will be inscribed Liberty, Equality.
Fraternity.

Thus early in life ]\Ir. Carpenter saw the destined
tendency of our American institutions, and the ad-
vancing civilization of the age. He saw it in the
peace congress, whose deliberations have made the
Rhine thrice immortal. He saw it in the prospect-
ive railway, which he believed would one day
unite the shores of the Atlantic with those of the
Pacific — a fact realized by the construction of the
great continental railway.

It was thus early that he began to studj- the
wants of the world, and with what clearness and
directness may be seen by the correctness of hia
vision and the accomplishment of what he consid-
ered an inevitable necessity.

Thus, growing up into manhood, and passing on-
ward in the rugged jiatliway of time, disciplined in
political economy and civil ethics in the stern
school of experience, he was prepared to meet everj^
emergency with a steady hand ; to bring order out
of discord, and insure harmony and prosperity.

Gov. Carpenter is now engaged in the quiet pur-
suits of farm life, residing at Fort Dodge, where
he is highly esteemed as one of her purest minded
and most upright citizens,

piJBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOH, LENOX

GOVKRNOKS OF IOWA.

143

OSHUA G. NEWBOLD, the
ninth Governor of Iowa, is
a native of Penns3lvania.
He comes from tliat cxet'llent
^ stock known as the Friends,
who very early settled in
Now Jersey. Joshua (!. is the
sou of Barzilla and Catherine
(House) Newbtild, and was born
in Fajette County, May 12,
liSoO. He was born a farmer's
lioy and was reared in tlie vigor-
mis employment of farm work.
Wlien lie was eight years <if ay;e the
family moved to Westmoreland
County, Pa., where, in the common
schools and in a select school or academy', young-
Newbold received his education. When sixteen
years of age he accompanied the family on their re-
turn to Fayette County. Here for the following-
eight years he assisted his father in running a Hour-
ing-mill as well as devoting much of his time to
teaching school. When about nineteen j'ears of
age our subject began the study of medicine, de-
votir.g much of his time while teaching to his med-
ical books. He, however, aliandoned the idea of
becoming a ph3-sician and turned his attention to
different walks in life.

In the month of March, 1854, Mr. Newbold re-
moved to Iowa, locating on a farm, now partly in
the corporation of Mount Pleasant, Henry County.

At the end of one year he removed to C'eda.
Township, Van Buren County, there merchandising
and farming till about 18G0, when he removed to
Hillsljoro, Henry County, and pursued the same
callings.

In 1SG2, when the call was made for 000,000 men
to finish the work of crushing the Rebellion, Mr.
Newbold left his farm in the hands of his family
and his store in charge of his partner, and went into
the army as Captain of Company C, 25th Regiment
of Iowa Infantry. lie served nearly three years,
resigning just before the war closed, on account of
disability. During the last two or three months he
served at the .South he filled the position of Judge
Advocate, with headtpiarters at Woodville, Ala.

His regiment was one of those that made Iowa
troops famous. It arrived at Helena, Ark., in
November, 1862, and sailed in December following
on the expedition against Vicksburg by way of
C^hickasaw Bayou. At the latter place was its first
engagement. Its second was at Arkansas Post, and
there it suffered severely, losing in killed and
wounded more than sixty.

After Lookout Mountain it joined in the pursuit
of Bragg's flying forces to Ringgold, where it en-
gaged the enemy in their strong works, November
27, losing twenty-nine wounded. The following
year it joined Sherman in his Atlanta Campaign,
then on the famous march to the sea and through
the Carolinas.

On returning to Iowa he continued in the mei--

144

JOSHUA G. NEWBOLD.

cantile trade at Hillsbori) for three or four years,
and then sold out, giving thereafter his whole at-
tention to agriculture, stock-raising and stock-deal-
ing, making the stock department an important
factor in his business for several j'cars. Mr. New-
bold was a member of the 13th, 14th and loth Gen-
eral Assemblies, representing Henry Countj', and
was Chairman of the School Committee in the 14th,
and of the cummittee on appropriations in the 15th
General Assembly. In the loth (1874) he was tem-
porary Speaker during the deadlock in organizing
the House. In 1875 he was elected Lieutenant
Governor on tlie Republican ticket with Samuel J.
Kirlvwood.

His Democratic competitor was E. D. AVoodward,
who received 93,060 votes. Mr. Newbold received
134,1{JC, or a majority of 31,106. Governor Kirk-
wood being elected United States Senator during
that session, Mr. Newbold became Governor, taking
the chair Feb. 1, 1877, and vacating it for Gov.
Gear in January, 1878.

Gov. Newbold's message to the Legislature
In 1878, shows painstaking care and a clear, busi-
ness-like view of the interests of the State. His
recommendations were carefully considered and
largely adopted. The State's finances were then in
a less creditable condition than ever before or
since, as there was an increasing floating debt, then
amounting to $340,826.56, more than $90,000 in
excess of the Constitutional limitation. Said Gov.
Newbold in liis message : " The commonwealth
ought not to set an example of dilatoriness
in meeting its obligations. Of all forms of indebt-
edness, that of a floating character is the most ob-
jectionable. The uncertainty as to its amount will

invariably enter into any computation made by per-
sons contracting with the State for supplies, mater-
ial or labor. To remove the present difficulty, and
to avert its recurrence, I look upon as the most im-
portant work that will demand your attention."

One of the greatest problems before statesmen is
that of equal and just taxation. The following
recommendation shows that Gov. Newbold was
abreast with foremost thinkers, for it proposes a
step which yearly finds more favor with the people :
" The inequalities of the personal-property valu-
ations of the several counties suggest to m3' mind
^the propriety of so adjusting the State's levy as to
require the counties to pay into the State treasury
only the tax on realtj^, leaving the corresponding
tax on personalty in the county treasury. This
would rest with each county the adjustment of its
own personal property valuations, without fear that
they might be so high as to work injustice to itself
in comparison with other counties."

Gov. Newbold has always afliliated with the
Republican party, and holds to its great cardinal
doctrines, having once embraced them, with the
same sincerity and honesty that he cherishes his re-
ligious sentimeuts. He has been a Christian for
something like twenty-five years, his connection be-
ing with the Free-AVill Baptist Church. He found
his wife, Rachel Farquhar, in Faj-ette County, Pa.,
their union taking place on the 2d of May, 1850.
They have had five children and lost two. The
names of the living are Mary AUene, Emma
Irene and George C.

The Governor is not yet an rild man, and may
serve his State or county in other capacities in the
coming years.

THE NEW YOnrc ,
PUBLIC LIBHaIy

^<?^'H^co-^

GOVERNORS OF IOWA.

147

mm

^K2)(s)N^i)^^^V^«»^^'

OHN ir. GEAR, the teiitli
•a gentlemiiu to occuiw the
Executive Chair of Iowa, is
still a resident of liurliiig-toii.
yiW ^^^ '* ^ native of the Empire
State, where in the cit_y of
Ithiea, April 7, 1 S-2o, lie was born.
Rev. E. G. Geai, his fatlier, was
liorn in New London, Conn., in
1 702, and became a distiugnished
clerg3'man of the Prdtestant
Episcopal C'luirch. His family had
removed with him, while he was
still yonng, to rittstield, Mass., and
in the j-enr 181G, after his ordina-
tion as a clergyman of the Episco-
jxil Church, lie went t(_> New York
and located at Onondaga Hill near
.|] the city of Syracuse. Shortly after
this settlement, the young minister
was united in marriage with Miss
]\Iiranda E. Cook. After serving
various congregations in Western
New York for many j-ears, he de-
termined to become a pioneer in
Northern Illinois, whieli at the time, in the year
18uf'i, was being rapidly settled up. He found a
desirable location at Galena where he remained un-
til 18oS, wlien he received the appointment as
Chaplain in the United States army while located
at Fort Snelling, Minn. He lived a long and act-
ive life, doing much good, quitting his labors in

the year 1874. at the ailvanced age of eighty-two
years.

The only son born to Mv. and Mrs. E. G. Gear
was .7. IL, afterward the distinguished Governor of
Iowa. As .above stated the birth occurred in 1 82.5.
In 1S43, when still a young man, he came West to
I'.urliugton, where he has since contiiuied to reside,
her most distinguished citizen. Sh')rtly after his
arrival in the j'oung city, he embarked in his mer-
cantile career, engaging at the time with the firm
of Bridgman & Bros., in the capacity of a clerk.
Ki'niainiug with this firm for a little over a .year,
he left them for an engagement with W. F. Cool-
liaugh, who at one time was President of the
Union National Bank, of Chicago, and who at that
early period was the leading merchant of Eastern
Iowa. He served Mr. Coolbaugh so faithfall3', and
with such marlvcd ability for the fi)llowing five
years, that, when desirous of a partner in Lis busi-
ness, the wealthy merchant could find no one in
whom he C(juld place greater confidence aiid with
whom he could trust his extensive business rela-
tions that jileased him lietter than the young clerk.
Accordingly he was associated as a partner under
the firnr name of W. F. Coolbaugh & Co. Under
tills arrangement the firm did a prosperous busi-
ness for the following five years, when Mr. Gear
purchased the entire business, which he carried on
with marked success until he became known as the
oldest wholesale grocer in the State. He 's at present,
besides fiUing other prominent busine.=s relations,
President of the Rolling Mill Co., of Galesburr

148

.)i»JIN n. GEAR.

Mr.Gear has been honored by his fcilovv-eitizeiis
with many positions of trust. In 1802 he was
elected Alderman; in 18G3 was elected Mayor
over A. W. Carpenter, being the first Republican
up to that time who had l)een elected in Burlington
on a party issue. In 1SG7 the Burlington, Cedar
Rapids & Minnesota Railroad Company was organ-
ized, and he was chosen as its President. His ef-
forts highly contributed to the success of the enter-
prise, which did much for Burlington. He was
ilso active in promoting the Burlington & South-
western Railwajr, as well as the Burlington & North-
western narrow-gauge road.

He has always acted with the Republican party,
and in 1871 was nominated and elected a member
of the House of Representatives of the 14th
General Assembl}'. In 1873 he was elected to the
loth General Assembly. The Republican cau-
cus of the House nominated him for Speaker by
acclamation, and after a contest of two weeks he
wa': chosen over his opponent, J. W. Dixon. He
filled the position of Speaker very acceptably, and
at the close of the session all tlie members of the
House, independent of party afflliations, joined in
signing their names to a resolution of thanks, which
was engraved and presented to him. In 187ij he
was the third time nominated to the Assemblj^ by
the Republican party, and while liis county gave a
large Democratic vote he was again elected. He
was also again nominated for Speaker by the Re-
publican caucus, and was elected by a handsome
majority over his competitor, Hon. John Y. Stone.
He is the only man in the State who ever had the
honor of being chosen to this high position a sec-
ond time. He enj<iys the reputation of being an
able parliamentarian, his rulings never having been
appealed from. At the close of the session he
again received the unanimous tlianks of tlie House
of Representatives for his courtesj-and inipartialit^y,
and for the able and satisfactory manner in which
he had presided over that liody.

In 1877 he was nominated for Governor by the
Republican convention which met at Des Moines,
June 28, and at the election held the following
October he received 121,540 votes, against 79,353
for John r. Irish, 10,039 for Elias Jessup and 38,-
12e for D. P. Stubbs. His plurality over Irish

was 42,193. He was inaugurated .Tan. 17, 1878,
and served four years, being re-elected in 1879 by
the following handsome vote: Gear, 157,571;
Trimble, 85,056; Campbell, 45,439; Dungan, 3,258,
Gear's majority over all competitors, 23,828. His
second inauguration occurred in January of the
year 1880.

Gov. Gear's business habits enabled liini to dis
charge the duties of his office with marked ability
He found the financial condition of the State at v.
low ebb, but raised Iowa's credit to that of the
best of our States. In his last biennial message he
was able to report : " Tlie warrants out-standing,
but not bearirig interest, Sept. 30, 1881, amounted
to $22,093.74, and there are now in the treasury
ample funds to meet the current expenses of the
State. The war and defense debt has been paid,
except the warrants for $125,000 negotiated bj- the
Executive, Auditor and Treasurer, under the law
of the 18th General Assembly, and *2,500 of
the original bonds not yet presented for pay-
ment. The only other debt owing by the State
amounts to $245,435.19, due to the permanenv
school fund, a portion of which is made irredeem
able by the Constitution. These facts place Iowa
practically among the States wliich have no debt,
a consideration which must add much to her repu
tation. The expenses of the State for the last two
years are less than those of any other period since
1869, and this notwithstanding tlie fact that the
State is to-day sustaining several institutions not
tlien in existence ; namely, the Imspital at Inde-
pendence, the additional penitentiaiy, the Normal
School and the asylum for the feeble-minded chil-
dren, besides the girl's department of the reform
school. The .State also, at present, makes proviiiion
for fish culture, for a useful weather service, fo
sanitary supervision by a Board of Health, for cu
couraging immigration to the State, for the inspec
tion of coal mines by a State Inspector, and liber-
ally for the military arm of the Government."

Gov. Gear is now in the sixty -first year of his
age, and is in the full vigor of botli liis mental and
physical faculties. He was married in 1852 to
Harriet S. Foot, foriner'ly of the town of JNIiddle-
bury, Vermont, by whom he has had four children
two of whom are living.

THE KE'iv roRR-
PUBUC LIBRARY]

^STOR. ^p

NOX

tyj^/y^CO^^,

GOVERNORS OF IOWA.

gMij&SJLs^

^-^

Q)%S^@2^

%h,&T':Sha,TL^

;s«^- ' "-"i^AtsSpl^'

,^XE of the most distingiiislinl

gontleineu who wms over

|1// lidiiored witli the ])Oj;itiiiii

^^ of C'liief Executive of the

^^tS'O '^'t'lte is Biiren R. Slierniaii,

'"^ <>3J w^Q eleventh Governor of

Town, whii is a native of New York.
It was in the town of Pheliis, in On-
tario Countj', that he was liorn to his
parents, Phineas L. and P^veline
(Robinson) Sherman, on the iSth of
Maj', 183G, and was the third son of
a distinguished family of children.
His parents were likewise natives of
the Empire State. Buren R. attended the public
schools of lii.s neighborhood, but was subsequently
given advantages of the schools at Almira, N. Y.,
wdiere he acquired a very thorough knowledge of
the English branches. His father, who was a me-
chanic, advised him at the close of his studies to
apprentice himself to learn some trade. He ac-
cordingly made such arrangements with S. Ayers, of
,\lniira, to lear'i the trade of a watchm.alcer. In
185.5, however, he left this position and joined his
familj' on their removal to the then new State of
Iowa. They settled iipoii a piece of unbroken prai-
rie Uuid on what is now Geneseo Township, Tama

County, his father having previously jiurchased
land from the Government. Here Buren R. labored
diligently in developing liis father's fields, devoting,
however, leisure hours whicli he was granted, to the
study of law. Before leaving his Eastern home he
had decided upon that profession and began its
study while yet in ^VIniii';i. He soon secured n, po-
sition as a book-keeper in .a neighlioring town, itiii
with the wages earned there, materially assisted uik
father in the development of their home farm. Ir.
the meantime he had applied himself diligently tc
the study of his books, and so studious had ht
been that in the summer of 18.59, he was enabled
to jjassa creditable examination and to be adnrtted
to the bar. The foll(.)wing spring the j'oung attor-
ney moved to A'inton, hung out his .shingle and be-
gan the i)ractice of his jn'ofession. He W'as associated
with Hon. William Smyth, formerly District Judge,
and J. C. Traer, luider the firm name of Smyth.
Traer A: Sherman. The new linn rapidly grew into
prominence, building up a, i)rosperous practice,
wdien Mr. Sherman with<lrew to tender his services
to the Government in defense of lier integrity and
honor.

It was early in 1 sfil, directly after the enemy had
assaulted the American flag on Sumter, that the
young attorney enlisted in Co. G, Hith Iowa Vol,

/■52

BUKEN R. SHERMAN.

Inf., and immediately went to the front. lie
entered the service as Second Sergeant, and in
February, 1862, was made Second Lieutenant of
Coniiiany K. On the Gth of April following he was
v'ery se\erely wounded at the battle of l'ittsl>urgh
Landing, and wliile in the hospital was promoted to
the rank of C'aittain. He returned to his company
while yet oliliged to use his crutches, and remained
on duty till tlic summer of 18G3, when, by reason of
his wa)und, he was compelled to resign and return
home. Soon after returning from the army hQ was
elected County Judge of Benton Countj', and re-
elected without opposition in 18G5. In the autumn
of 18G6 he resigned his judgeship and accepted the
office of Clerk of the District Court, to which he
v.as re-elected in 18G8, 1870 and 1872, and in
Hcccmlier, 1874, resigned in order to accept the
oIHce of Auditor of State, to which office he had
been elected by a majority of 28,425 over J. M.
King, the "anti-monopoly " candidate. In 1876 he
was renominated and received 50,272 more votes
than W. (irowneweg (Democrat) and Leonard
Browne (Greenback) together. In 1878 he was
again chosen to represent the Repul)lican part}'
in that office, and this time received a major-
ity o' 7.164 over the combined votes of Col.
E'.^Aoeck (Demoei'at) and G. V. Swearenger (Green-
biu'k). In the six j^ears that he held this office, he
was untiring in his faithful applicati(m to routine
work and devotion to his special share of the State's
business. He retired with such an enviable record
that it was with no surprise the people learned,
June 27, 1881, that he was the nominee of the Re-
publican party for Governor.

The campaign was an exciting one. The General
Assembly had submitted to the people the prohibi-
tory amendment to the Constitution. This, while
not a partisan question, became uppermost in the
mind of the public. Mr. Sherman received 133,-
330 votes, against 83,244 for Kinne and 28,112 for
D. M. Clark, or a plurality of 50,086 and a major-
ity of 21,974. In 1883 he was re-nominated by
the Repuljlicans, as well as L. G. Kinne by the
Democrats. The National party offered J. B.
Weaver. During the campaign these candidates
iield a number of joint discussions at different
points in the State. At the election the vote was:

Sherman, 164,182; Kinne, 139,093; Weaver, 23,.
089; Sherman's plurality, 25,089; majority. 2,000
In his second inaugural Gov. Sherman said :

" In assuming, for the second time, the office ol
Cliief Magistrate for the State, I fully realize wy
grateful ol)ligations to the people of Iowa, throuyli
W'hose generous confidence I am here. I nm aw.-uc
of the duties and grave responsibilities of this ex-
alted position, and as well what is expected of me
therein. As in the past I have given my undivided
time and serious attention thereto, so in the future
I promise the most earnest devotion and untiring
effort in tlie faithful performance of my official re-
quirements. I have seen the State grow from in-
fancy to mature manhood, and each year one of
substantial betterment of its previous position.

" With more railroads than any State, save two;
with a school interest the grandest and strt)ngest,
which commands the support and confirlcnce of all
the people, and a population, which in its entirety
is superior to any other in the sisterhood, it is
not strange the pride w-hich attaches to our people.
When we remember that the results of our efforts in
the direction of good government have been
crowned with such magnificent success, and to-day
we have a State in most perfect piiysicai and finan-
cial condition, no wonder our hearts swell in honest
pride as we contemplate the past and so confidently
hope for the future. What we may become de-
pends on our own efforts, and to that futin-e 1 look
with earnest and abiding confidence."

Gov. Sherman's term of office continued until Jan.
14, 1886, when he was succeeded by William Larra-
bee, and he is now, temporarily, perhaps, enjoying
a well-earned rest. He has been a Republican since
the organization of that party, .and his services as a
campaign speaker have been for many years in
great demand. As an officer he has been able to
make an enviable record. Himself honorable and
thorough, his management of public business has
been of the same character, and such as has com-
mended him to the approval of his fellow-citizens.

He was married, Aug. 20, 1862, to Miss Lena
Kendall, of Vinton, Iowa, a young lady of rare ac-
complishments and strength of character. Their
union has been happy in every respect. Tliey have
two children— Lena Kendall and Oscar Eugi.'ne.

r^BfKUBSy/

ASTOR, LENOX

kr- A

GOVEKXOR.S OF IOWA.

!5i

- oo:>

ILLIAM LARRABEE. the

^ picsent al)le Governor of
- Iowa, and the twelfth geii-
'•j tlenian selected by the
people as the Chief Magis-
%> Irate of the great Com-
monwealth, is a native of
Connecticut. His ancestors
were among tlio French Huguenots who
came to America early in the seventecntli
century and located in Connecticut. At
that time they bore the name of d'Larra-
bce. Adam Larrabee, the father of Will-
iam, wi-is T)orn March 14, 17s7, and was
one of the early graduates of the "West
Poiut i.lilitary Academy. He served his
country during the AVar of 1812, with distinction,
Iiolding the position of Second Lieutenant, to which
lie was conimissioned March 1, 1811. He was pro-
moted to the Captaincy of his company Feb. 1,
181-t, and on the 30th of the following March, at
the battle of Lacole JHlls, during Gen. 'Wilkinson's
campaign on the Saint Lawrence River, he was
severely wounded in tlie lung. He eventually re-
covered from the injury and was united in mar-
riage to Hannah G. Lester. This mucli esteemed
ladj- was born .June 3, 1798, and died on the Ljth jf
March, 1837. Capt. Larrabee lived to an ad-
vanced age, dying in 1869, at the age of eightj--
two years.

As above mentioned, William, our subject, was

litn-u in Connectic».t, the town of Ledyard being
the place of his birth and .Tan. 20, 1 832, the date.
He was the seventh child in a family of nine chil-
dren, and passed the early jears of his life upon a
rugged New England farm, enjoying very meager
educational advantages. lie attended, during the
winter seasons, the neighljoring district schools
until he reached the age of nineteen years, when,
(luring the following two winters, he fdled the posi-
tion of schoolmaster. He was ambiti<jus to do
something in life for himself that would bring fort-
une and distinction, but in making his plans for the
future he was enil)arrassed b}- a misfortune which
befell him when fourteen 3' ears of age. In being
trained to the use of firearms under his father's
direction, an accidental discharge resulted in the
loss of the sight in the right eye. This conse-
quently unfitted him for many employments usually
sought by ambitious j'oung men. The famil}'
lived near the seashore, only two miles away, and
in that neighborhood it was the custom for at least
(jue son in each family to go upon the sea as a
sailor. The two eldest lu'others of our subject had
chosen this occupation while the third remained in
charge of the home farm. William was thus left
free to chose for himself and, like iiianj' of the
y<:iHtlis of that day, he wisely turned Iiis face West-
ward. The j'ear 18.J3 found him on this journey
toward the setting sun, stopping onlj^ when he
came to the broad and fertile prairies of the new
State of Iowa, He first joined his elder sister, IMi-s

166

WILLIAM LARUABEE.

E. H. Williams, who was at that time living at
Garnavillo, C'ln3-toii Count}-. It was this circum-
stance which led the joung boy from Connecticut
to select his future home in the northeastern por-
tion of Iowa. lie resumed his occupation as a
pedagogue, teaching, however, but one winter,
which was passed at Hardin. The following three
years he was emplo3ed in the capacity of foreman
on the Grand Meadow farm of his brother-in-law.
Judge Williams.

In 1857 he bought a one-third interest in the
Clermont Mills, and located at Clermont, Fayette
County. He soon was able to buy the other two-
thirds, and within a j-ear found himself sole owner.
He operated this mill until 1S74 when he sold to
S. M. Leach. On the breaking out of the war he
offered to enlist, but was rejected on aecoiuit of
the loss of his right eye. Being informed he might
possibly be admitted as a commissioned officer, he
raised a company and received a commission as
First Lieutenant, but was again rejected for the
same disability.

After selling the mill Mr. Larrabee devoted him-
self to farming, and started a private bank at Cler-
mont. He also, experimentally, started a large
nursery, but this resulted only in confirming the
belief that Northern Iowa has too rigorous a cli-
mate for fruit-raising.

Mr. Larrabee did not begin his political career
until 18G7. He was reared as a Whig and became
a Republican on the organization of that party.
AVhile interested in politics he generally refused
local offices, serving only as Treasurer of the
School Board prior to 18C7. In the autumn of
that year, on the Republican ticket, he was elected
to represent his county in the .State Senate. To
this high position he was re-elected from time to
time, so that he served as Senator continuous!}' for
eighteen years before being promoted to the high-
est office in the State. He was so popular at home
that he was generally re-nominated b}' acclamation,
and for some years the Democrats did not even

make nominations. During the whole eighteen
3-ears Senator Larrabee was a member of the prin-
cipal committee, that on Ways and Means, of which
he was generally Chairman, and was also a member
of other committees. In the pursuit of the duties
thus devolving upon him, he was indefatigable.
It is said that he never missed a committee meet-
ing. Not alone in this, but in private and pu])lic
business of all kinds, his uniform habit is that ol
close application to work. Many of the important
measures passed by the Legislature owe their ex-
istence or present form to him.

He was a candidate for the gubernatorial nomina-
tion in 1881, but entered the contest too late, as
Gov. Sherman's following had been successfully
organized. In 1885 it was generally conceded be-
fore the meeting of the convention that he would
be nominated, which he was, and his election fol-
lowed as a matter of course. He was inaugurated
Jan. 14, 188G, and so far has made an excellent
Governor. His position in regard to the liquor
question, that on which political fortunes are made
and lost in Iowa, is that the majority should rule.
He was personall}' in favor of high license, but
having been elected Governor, and sworn to up-
hold the Constitution and execute the laws, he ])ro-
poses to do so.

A Senator who sat beside him in the Senate de
clares him to l)e '"a man of the broadest compre-
hension and information, an extraordinarilj- clear
reasoner, fair and conscientious in his conclusions,
and of Spartan firmness in his matured judgment,"
and says that '■ he brings the practical facts and
philosophy of human nature, the science and his-
tory of law, to aid in hisdecisions, and adheres with
the earnestness of Jefferson and Sumner to the
fundamental principles of the people's rights."

Gov. Larrabee was married Sept. 1 2, 1 8G 1 , at Cler-
mont, to Anna M. Appelmau, daughter of Capt.
G. A. Appelman. Gov. Larrabee has seven chil-
dren— Charles, Augusta, Julia, Anna, William,
Frederic and Helen.

lows

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GOVERNORS (JV IOWA.

16!)

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GRACE BOIES, Governor
of Iowa, is a lawyer by
profession, and a resident
of the city of Waterloo,
of this State, where he
has been in active prac-
6\jo^c5yO tice since April, 1 867. Governor
"^'j^i^ Boies is a son of Eber and Hettie
(■M^^^^yO (Ilenshaw) Boies, and was born in
Aurora, Erie County, N. Y., on the
7th day of December, 1827. His
father was a farmer b\' occupation,
and in moderate circumstances, and
Horace was reared 'vmder the
healthful and moral influences of
farm life, lie attended the public schools, as op-
jjortunit}' afforded, until sixteen years of age, when
being inspired with an ambition to see more of the
world than had been possible for him within the
narrow limits of his native town, with the added
variety of an occasional visit to Buffalo, he per-
suaded his parents to consent to his departure for
(he West. Passage was secured on a steamer at
Buffalo, wliicli was bound up tlie lakes, and in due
time he landed at the little hamlet of Racine, Wis.
This was in the spring of 1843, wliile Wisconsin

was a Territory and but sparsely settled. The total
cash assets of the youthful emigrant amounted to
but seventy-five cents, which necessitated strict
economy and immediate employment. Not finding
a favorable opening at Racine he struck out on
foot in search of worlc among tlie farmers, which
he secured with a settler near Rochester, and some
twenty miles from Racine. His employer proved
a hard task-master and kept the boy hard at the la-
borious work of ditch digging, while he stinted
him at meals. After a month spent in a half-
starved condition, and over-worked, the subject of
our sketch received the sum of iilO for his services,
and broken down in health, moved on a few miles,
where he luckily fell in witli a family that had
moved from the neigliborhood of his home. They
proved true friends and kindly cared for liim
through a long illness, tliat was the legitimate con-
sequence of his previous month of hardship and
starvation.

On recovering his health, young Boies continued
at farm work until a year liad elapsed since he had
left his home. He then returned to his native
town, having learned the useful lesson of self-re-
liance, which in after years enabled him to more
easily overcome the difficulties that beset the way

loO

HORACE BOIES.

of him who has to hew out his own road to success.

On his return to Aurora, Mr. Boies pursued a
course of study at the Aurora Academy, and later
spent one winter in teaching school in Boone
County, 111. Returning to New York, he was mar-
ried in Aurora, on the 18th of April, 1848, to Miss
Adela King, a daughter of Darius and Hannah
King. Mrs. Boies was born in Erie County, N. Y.
Three children were born of their union, of whom
onl3' one is now living, a daughter, Adela, who was
the wife of John W. Carson, now deceased. Mrs.
Carson resides at Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

In 1850 Mr. Boies began the study of law in Au-
rora and pursued it in that place and also in Bos-
ton, of P^rie County; and was admitted to the bar
at Buffalo, at tlie general term of the Supreme
Court in November, 1852. He pursued the prac-
tice of his profession in Buffalo and vicinity with
marked success, and in the fall of 1857 was chosen
to represent his district in the New York House of
Representatives, for the session of 1858.

In the autumn of 1855 Mr. Boies was called to
mourn the loss of his wife, who died in November,
of that year. He was married again in December,
1858, in Waterloo, Iowa, to Miss Yersalia M. Bar-
ber, a daughter of Dr. P. J. Barber. Mrs. Boies
was boru in Boston, Erie County, N. Y., and had
removed to Iowa six months prior to her marriage.
She died in April, 1&77, leaving three children, a
daughter and two sons. Earl L., the eldest, was
graduated at Cornell College, studied law with his
father, was admitted to tlie bar in 1886, and is now
his father's partner. Jessie, the only daughter, is
her father's companion and housekeeper. Herbert
B., the youngest, is a law student, reading law in
his father's office.

Mr. Boies after pursuing the practice of his pro-
fession at Buffalo and vicinity for fifteen years, re-
moved to Iowa, and settled at Waterloo, in April,
1867. He at once formed a law partnership with IT.
B. Allen, and for a time the firm was Boies & Allen,
then Carlton F. Couch, the present district judge,
was admitted to membership, and the firm name be-
came Boies, Allen & Couch. Tliat connection was
continued until 1878, when Mr. Allen, on account of
failing health, was obliged to withdraw. The firm
continued under the st\lc of Boies & Couch until

1884, when Mr. Couch was elected Judge of the
Ninth Judicial District. Mr. Boies was then alone
in business for a short time, until joined by his
'eldest son, E. L. In 1886 Mr. James L. Husted
was admitted to membership in the firm, which has
since continued under the name of Boies, Husted
<fe Boies, and which is widely knowTi as a leading
law firm of Eastern Iowa.

Gov. Boies was a Whig in early life, and on the
disruption of that party and the formation of the
Republican party, he joined the latter. But he was
never ambitious to serve in official positions, and
with the exception of one term in the New York
Legislature and one term as City Attorney at Wa-
terloo, he held no office of consequence until elected
Governor of Iowa in the fall of 1889. He main-
tained his connection with the Republican party
until 1882, since which time he has alHliated with
the Democrats. Gov. Boies enjoys the distinction
of being the first Governor of Iowa elected by the
Democratic party for a period of thirty-five years,
and was the only successful candidate of his party
on tlie State ticket at the late election. Consider-
ing the fact that the State was carried the year pre-
vious in the Presidential election, by a majority of
thirty-five thousand in favor of the Republicans,
the success of Gov. Boies may be said to have been
a marked compliment to him as a man and a leader,
without disparaging the splendid campaign work of
his party managers, or ignoring the effect of the evi-
dent change in popular political sentiment in Iowa.

As a lawyer, Gov. Boies has won prominence by
his ability and well-grounded knowledge of law,
an earnest and conscientious regard for the inter-
ests of his clients, and the confidence and respect
he never fails to command in addressing the court
or jury. His life has been a busy one, and success
has been achieved by indefatigable industry, close
study, and strict integrity of character. He is not
a politician in the common acceptation of the term,
and the nomination for Governor came to him un-
sought and was only accepted through a sense of
duty to the party with whose principles he was in
close sympathy. He enters upon the discharge of
his official duties under peculiar circumstances, but
with the confidence of all parties that his adminis-
tr.-tion will be able, honest and fair.

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Jeffei^soirj f ^ Yaij Bureii CoEiiitfes^

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-^^-

INTRODUQT^ORY.

i-e-i-

^^iMBl'-^s.^

3,HE time has arrived when it
becomes the duty of the
people of this county to per-
petuate the names of their
pioneers, to furnish a record
of their early settlement,
and relate the story of their
progress. The civilization of our
day, the enlightenment of the age
and the duty that men of the pres-
ent time owe to their ancestors, to
themselves and to their posterity,
demand that a record of their lives
and deeds should be made. In bio-
graphical history is found a power
to instruct man by precedent, to
"•vW^w' Wrt*' enliven the mental faculties, and
^ ^ to waft down the river of time a

safe vessel in which the names and actions of the
people who contributed to raise this country from its
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly
the great and aged men, who in their prime entered
the wilderness and claimed the vjrgin soil as their
heritage, are passing to their graves. The number re-
maining who can relate the incidents of the first days
rf settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an
actual necessity exists for the collection and preser-
vation of events without delay, before all the early
settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time.

To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind
from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough,
in spite of their best works and the most earnest
efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of
their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion
and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor-
tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed.
Th ; pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the
names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu-
mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from
buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people

to perpetuate the memory of tReir achievements.
The erection of the great obelisks were for the same
purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the
Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu-
ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their
great achievements and carry them down the ages.
It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling
up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea —
to leave something to show that they had lived. All
these works, though many of them costly in the ex-
treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac-
ters of those whose memory they were intended to
perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of
the people that then lived. The great pyramids and
some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity;
the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum-
bling into dust.

It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli-
gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating
a full history — immutable in that it is almost un-
limited in e.xtent and perpetual in its action ; and
this is through the art of printing.

To the present generation, however, we are in-
debted for the introduction of the admirable system
of local biography. By this system every man, though
he has not achieved what the world calls greatness,
has the means to perpetuate his life, his history,
through the coming ages.

The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the
physical man is left. The monument which his chil-
dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme-
tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his
life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished,
which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated
by a record of this kind.

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we
engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col-
lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we
think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to
wait until they are dead, or until those who know
them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to
publish to the world the history of those whose lives
are unworthy of public record.

"^/f^^

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"g)'N/v-^

THE NtW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

A6T0R. LENOX
TIUDEN FOUNnATinm.

Jz^.r?rL<^ ^^f^ij-i^^^-^^-^ — 7

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

169

yr

^

-S-i— « o-SiJ

. JAMES F. WILSON,

Lf u i t e d Stales Senator
from Iowa. Among the
iDany eminent statesmen
of America wlio liave
won prominence and dis-
tinction tlirougl) their own unaided
efforts, rising from luunble stations
©■^^^^ in life wliere educational advan-
tages were limited, to higii places
of public honor and trust, must be
classed the Senator whose name
heads this sketch. The story of
tlie successful growth in political
inlluence and power of sucli men
as Lincoln, Garfield, Henry Wilson, Kirkwood, and
James F. Wilson, with numerous others, touches the
honest pride of the true American heart and rouses
to a spirit of emulation the amliition of those who,
conscious of the [jossession of superior talents and
natural ability, find themselves hampered by the
accident of birth in advantages of education.

James F. Wilsi)n was born in New.ark, Ohio, on
the I9tli of October, 1828, and is a son of David
S. and Kilty A. (Bramble) Wilson. His lather, a
native of Morgantown, Va., was born in 1800, of
Scotch ancestry, and was a contractor and builder

by trade. In Newark. Ohio, he married Miss
Kitty A. Bramble, who was born in Chillicothe, of
that State, on tiie IGth of November, 1810. His
death occurred in 1839, leaving three small chil-
dren to the care of the mother. The parents were
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr.
Wilson t.aking an active part in everything that
pei'tained to the advancement of the cause. Polit-
ically, he was a Whig. Their family numbered
five children but only three lived to mature years,
namely: James F., Mary J., wife of Dr. Blair, and
David B. The mother died at the home of her
daughter in Fairfield, January 28, 1875.

As our subject was the eldest of the children, at
the death of his fatlier, although than but eleven
years of age, he was required to assist his mother
in providing for tlie sup|)ort of the family. Soon
after his father's death, he was apprenticed to a
saddle and harness makei', serving a term of several
years. Lender those circumstances, his educational
advantages were necessarily limited, but by per-
sistent effo't and self culture and with the aid of
several friends giving him private instructions at
their homes, he succeeded in .acquiring a good edu-
cation, including some of tlie languages. His am-
bition was to qualify himself to enter the profession
I of the law and that fact coming to the knowledge

170

PORTRAIT AMD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

of W. B. Woods, aftPiw.irds one of the Associate
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States,
he took a warm interest in the future of the 3^oung
harn€ss-maker, loaned him books and acted as his
instructor. Mr. Wilson pursued his early law
studies as he had his literary studies-while working
at his trade. In 1851, he quit the bench to devote
his time to preparation for his chosen work. In
1852, he was admitted to the bar in his native
town and there began the practice of his profession.

There Mr. Wilson was also married on the 2oth
of November, 1852, the lady of his choice being
Miss Mary A. K. Jewett, a native of Newark,
Ohio, and a daughter of Alpheus Jewett. Soon sf-
terward he removed with his wile to Iowa and set-
tled in Fairfield where he entered upon the practice
of his profession. Three children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, two sons and a daughter —
RoUin J., the eldest, is the senior partner of the
law firm of Wilson & Hinkle of F.airfield ; Mary
Blair, the only daughter, was educated.at Fairfield
and resides witli her parents; James F., Jr., was
born jMay 23, 1867, educated at Parsons College, in
Fairfield, and in October, 1889, engaged in the
boot and shoe businees at that city, AH were born
in Fairfield. The Senator and his family attend
the Congregational Church, of which Mrs. Wilson
and the children are members.

In addition to his law practice, Mr. Wilson, soon
after coming to Fairfield, participated in the edi-
torial charge of the organ of his party and the able
and vigorous manner in wliich he wielded the pen
soon attracted attention and favorable comment
fiom the public. He rapidly won prominence both
as a law3'er and a writer, and in 1856, was chosen
• a member of the convention to revise the State
Constitution of Iowa and proved one of the most
active and useful members of that body. In 1857
he was appointed by the Governor of Iowa, Assist-
ant Commissioner of the Des Moines River Im-
provement, then the most important work of the
interior public improvements in the State. During
the same year he was chosen to represent his dis-
trict in the Lower House of the State Legislature
and was made chairman of the Committfc on
Wa^'s and Means. In 1><5'J, he was elected a mem-
ber of the State Senate and served on the Judiciary

Committee through whose hands passed the revis-
ion of 1860. In 1861 he was chosen President of
the Senate and during the same year was elected
to Congress to fill a vacancy caused by the resig-
nation of Samuel R. Curtis. After serving the un-
expired term of Gen. Curtis. Mr. Wilson was
re-elected without opposition in any of the nomi-
nating conventions, to the Thirty-eighth, Thirty-
ninth and Fortieth Congresses and declined a
furtlier renominalion. When he entered Congress
he was placed on the Judiciary Committee of the
House of the Thirty-seventh Congress, and in all
probability was the youngest man ever placed on
that committee, being only thirty-three j'ears of
age at that time. He continued to serve on that
committee during the succeeding terms of his mem-
bership in the House and for six years was chair-
man of the committee. During that period the
important judicial questions arising from the late
war and consequent reconstruction of the relations
between the States lately in rebellion and the gov-
eriunent, made the duties of the Judiciary Com-
mittee more arduous and important thnn at any
time since the formation of the government. How
ably and f.'Uthfaily he discharged the duties which
devolved upon him is a matter of history. That
he remained uninterruptedly at its head and tliat
no measure favorably reported on by tlie commit-
tee failed in the House, is the best assurance of that
that confidence placed b}- Congress in his work.

Originally an flnti-slavery Whig, Mr. AVilson
joined the anti Nebraska party on the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise and soon afterwards tfiok an
active part in the organization of the Republican
jjarty in Iowa. He at once took prominence in the
new party and was recognized as one of its most
zealous and consistent adherents. '-During his
whole political career, whether in contests in his
own State or the councils of the Nation, lie has
been a pronounced and unswerving friend of equal
rights to all, without regard to race, color, or creed.
He was an original advocate of the proposition to
erase the word '-white" from the State Constitution
and persevered in his efforts in that direction un-
til the final triumph of the measure in the canvass
of 1868." '-On December 7, 1863, the first d.ay of
the session of the Thirty-eighth Congress, Mr. Wil-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

171

son gave notice in the House of his intention to in-
IrocUice a joint resolution for an amendment to the
Constitution al)olisliing slavery. This was the first
notice looking to that end ever given in the Con-
gress of the United States. Shortly after lie re-
piTrted the resolution from the Judiciary Committee
and on the 19th of jMarch following, sustained it
by a speech in the House, considered one of his
ablest and most effective efforts." Mr. Wilson ad-
vocated, also, daring this Congress, the emploj'-
ment of negro troops. He had no prejudices to
conquer in this direction and was anxious to accept
the services of tlie blacks in defense of the I'nion.
He was a zealous and eflicient worker in behalf of
Die repeal of the fugitive slave law, as of all other
measures calculated to do away with the institution
of slavery. ShortI}' after the assembling of the
Thirtj'-ninth Congress, he reported, from the Ju-
diciary Committee, a joint resolution proposing an
amendment to the constitution to forever forbid
the payment of any portion of the rebel debt.
The resolution passed the House and although it
was not acted uijon iu tiie Senate, its substance
w,i8 imbedied in the Fourteenth Constitutional
Amendment." '•Hatred of oppression, sympathy
with the lowly, is aslirmly ingrafted into Mr. Wil-
son's nature as it was in that of Lincoln or Gar-
field and springs as naturall3' as theirs from the
rugged experiences of his early struggle with pov-
erty and toil."

On entering Congress in December. 1801, the
first resolution offered in that body by Mr. Wilson
was one to instruct the committee on military affairs
to report an additional article of war, prohibiting
the use of the United States forces to return fugi-
tive slaves. The first bill ever reported to Congress
for the enfranchisement of the colored people of the
JJ)istrict of Columbia was reported byhim. He re-
reported and carried through the House a bill giving
freedom to the wives and ciiildron of colored union
soldiers. He rei)orted and carried through the House
the great Civil Rights Bill and fought earnestly, un-
tiringly and successfully' to engraft upon tiie con-
stitution and to make alive and active in the
Nation's statutes the principles of political and
civil equality. In the second session of the Thir-
ty-ninth Congress, when the question of the im-

peachment of President Johnson came up for
consideration and was continued in the Fortieth
Congress, Mr. Wilson, as a member of the Judic-
iary Committee, reported on behalf of the minorit}'
against impeachment and carried his proposi-
tion through the House after a spirited debate.
Wlien the subject came again before the House on
new charges, Mr. Wilson w.as made one of tlie man-
agers appointed by the House to carry the articles
of impeachment that were found against the Presi-
dent before the Senate, and to prosecute them there-
in this instance, there was, in his judgment, no
doubt about the power and duty of Congress. In
his view a penal enactment of Congress h.ad been
violated, clearly, knowingly, intentionally and de-
fiantly. Acting upon his convictions he gave to
the prosecution of the case his most earnest and ac-
tive efforts.

On the 4th of March, 18G9, when U. S. Gr.ant
was inaugurated President, James F. Wilson was
serving his last day in Congress, and had de-
termined to retire to private life. But on that day
the new President sent for him and tendered, him
the first place in his cabinet, that of Secretary of
State. After consideration, becoming so important
a proposition and of certain circumstances bearing
on the subject of which it is not necessary here to
speak, Mr. Wilson declined the appointment. Presi-
dent Grant pressed him to accept one of two other
cabinent positions l)uthe declined to serve in either
and returned to private life.

One of the principal reasons given by Mr. Wil-
son for refusing such an honorable api)ointment
was that he wished to spend his time with his fam-
ily from whom he had been so long separated
while in the public service. Accordingly, in the
spring of 1869, he returned to his home in Fair-
field and resumed the practice of his profession.
Shortly afterwards he was appointed by Grant as
one of the Government Directors of the Union Pa-
cific Railroad Company and served eight years in
that capacit}'. He enjo3'ed during the succeeding
twelve years after leaving Congress, a large and
lucrative law practice and accunnilated a comfort-
able fortune. While refusing to accept public of-
fice he took an active part in campaign work and
was prominent and inSuential in the conventions

172

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

of liis i)aity. In 1881, he announced himself as
a candidate for United States Senator, and in sup-
port of his claims made one of the most remarkable
canvasses known in the political histor}' of the
country. It was a novelty in Iowa politics, or of
any other State, for a candidacy for the Senate to
be, not a fusilade l)etween rival candidates, but a
process of public education. Mr. Wilson de'.ivered
eight written addresses on subjects of deep inter-
est to the people, on topics scientitic, literar_v, theo-
logical, historical and political. The character of
these several addresses suggested thorough stud}',
. deep research and a broad and diversified knowledge
that enlightened the people of Iowa as to the capa-
bilities of the man, and won for him an election to
the Senate of the United States without opposition.
At the close of liis term of office he was re-elected
unanimously and is now serving his second term
in the liiglicst branch of the National Congress. To
the liberality and personal efforts of JNIr. Wilson,
is largely due the perfection and importance of the
Fairfield Public Library, the largest library of mis-
cellanous works in the State and one which pos-
sesses a museum of natural curiosities, Indian relics,
Roman antiquities, etc. which is not equaled in
variety or extent west of the Mississippi. Tlie li-
brary contains one of the most complete set of pub-
lic documents, including reports of Congressional
ptoceedings from the Continental Congress to the
present time.

Mr. Wilson not only contributed liberallj' in
time and means to the cause, but through his influ-
ence secured generous conlribution.s from people
outside of Iowa. He has also taken an active in-
terest in support of the cause of temperance, and
the friends of reform in this direction in Iowa,
have never had reason to doubt his sincerity, but
have always been sure of his earnest co-operation.
He is the author (jf the bill which recently passed
tiie Senate and is known in common parlance ps the
original package hill. He reported said bill from
the judiciary committee of wiiich lie is a member
and had charge of its consideration in that bodj'
and until its first passage. He is always to be found
in the van of every movement of great public in-
terest, which has the welfare of the i)cople as its
object. By the purity of his life, both ))ublic and

private; his splendid t.alents as a statesman and his
industry and fidelity to every trust reposed in him,
Mr. Wilson has won a place in the hearts of the
people of which his friend.s may well be proud.

ETER DAHLBURG, for the long period of
forty-two 3'ears, has been a resident of Van
Buren Couniy and is both widely and fay.
orably known throughout the community.
He is of Swedish birth, but Iowa has but few bet-
ter citizens. He was born on the 7th of June, 1802,
and in his native land grew to manhood. At length,
having attained to mature years, he was united
in marriage with Miss Ingar Nelson who was also
born in Sweden, the date of her birth being De-
cember 20, 1807. Having lived for some years after
their marriage in Sweden, Mr. and Mrs. Dahl-
burg, accompanied by their chiMien, in 1845
crossed the Atlantic to America with the intention
of making a permanent location on this side of the
water. Landing on the shores of the New World
they at once continued their journe^^ until having
arrived in Iowa, when they located in .leffeison
County. After a short stay, however, they re-
moved to Keokuk, and the 3'ear 1848, witnessed
their arrival in Van Buren County, where they
have since made their home.

A family of ten children, eight of whom are liv-
ing, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dalilburg, namely:
Cecilia, wife of J. D. Irish, wliose sketch appears
elsewhere in this work; Elsie, wife of Peter Lo.
Gresley of Henry County, Iowa; Ellen, widow of
Frank Melz who was killed during the late war in
the engagement at Ft. Douelson ; Joanna, widow
of George N. Thomas: Robert N., who served as
one of the boys in blue and is now engaged in car-
pentering in Pittsburg; Charlotte, wife of Aaron
Mort of Kansas; Amanda M., wife of James W.
I'ace of Knoxville, who also followed the flag dur-
ing the Rebellion; and Charles L., a shorthand
reporter of Des Moines.

The parents of this family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal f'hurch and are highly re-
spected citizens in the community where they have

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

173

so long made their home. They have been witnes-
ses of almost the entire growth and development
of Van Biiren Country, have seen the progress made,
have aided in its advancement and have the honor
of being numbered among the pioneer settlers.

Mr. and Mrs. Dahlburg were married in Febru-
ary, 1827, and liave now lived together as man and
wife for upwards of sixty-three years.

||/_^ ON. WESLEY WALKER. The history of
Van Biiren County would be incom|)lete
should the sketch of Mr. Walker be omitted,
for few have longer been residents of the
community and none are more widely or favorably
known. In the pursuit of his business he has aiiTed
immeasurably in the upbuilding of the count}', and
with a desire to promote the general welfare, though
himself receiving no benefit, he has supported all
worthy enteri)rises, and, with others, should receive
the lasting gratitude of the citizens of the county
fur ages to come. We can hardly realize what is
duo the pioneers, yet we can cherisli their mem-
ory while we perpetuate their lives by written rec-
ord. The}' were the founders of the county, and
the work which they performed cannot be meas-
ured by a common standard.

Wesley Walker was born in York County, Pa.,
on the 11th of June, 1820, and is a son of Joseph
and Lydia (Bell) Walker, who were also natives of
the same county, the former born in 1787, the lat-
ter in 1788. The grandfather of our subject,
Abel Walker, was one of the early settlers of York
County. He married Ann Yale, daughter of Capt.
Robert Vale, who accompanied William Penn on
his second voyage to America. For valuable serv-
ices rendered, William Penn presented him with
one thousand acres of land in York County, where
the Walkers also owned large possessions. Both
families belonged to the Society of Friends, but
Joseph Walker was dismissed from the church on
account of having served in the War of 1812, the
sect being strongly opposed to warfare.

Our subject was one of nine children, all of
whom grew to mature years — Joel, who settled in

Keosauqua, in 1839, died in 1881 ; John is a car-
riage-maker, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Josiah has
been a i-esident of Van Buren County since 1860;
Wesley is the fourth in order of birth; Abel is still
living in his native State; Eliza is the widow of
Adam Freeze, of Springfield, Mass.; Jane, widow
of John P. Wolfe, died in Cumberland County,
Pa., in 1872; Louisa, who resides in Nebraska, is
the widow of John Pyles; Lucinda is the wife of
John P. Shively, of Cumberland County, Pa. The
parents of this family both died in York County.
Pa. They were honest, upright people, members
of the Methodist Church, and their consistent. lives
won them host of friends.

Wesley Walker acquired his education i:i the
subscription schools of the early day, and at the
age of eighteen years began learning the carpen-
ter's trade. Possessing a natural aptitude for me-
chanics, he soon mastered the business and became
a proficient workman. With a desire to benefit his
financial condition and with the hope of securing
for himself a comfortable home, he followed the
course of human emigration, which was steadily
drifting westward, and in the spring of 1839 landed
in Van Buren County, Iowa. On the 20th of June
he made a claim in Des Moines Township, but did
not locate upon the land, as he believed it would
be to his advantage to devote himself to carpen-
tering. Y'early the number of emigrations increased
and his labors were in constant demand. C)n the
17th of June, 1846, he was united in marriage
with Miss Rosa A. Robins, who was born in Leb-
anon County, Pa., in 1827, and was a daughter of
William Robins. Three years later, in March,
1849, with his father-in-law, he started for Cali-
fornia. In Keokuk they were delayed nine days
on account of tlie river being frozen over. At the
expiration of that time they boarded a steamer and
sailed down the Mississippi to New Orleans and
across the Gulf to Panama. On reaching the op-
posite side of tiie Isthmus they embarked in a
steamer, "Capaka,'' but ninety three days had passed
ere tliey reached Monterey, Cal., during that time
the supply of provisions was exhausted, and they
also suffered from thirst, only a pint of water being
allowed each passenger per da}-. Some idea of the
suffering will be obtained from the knowledge of

174

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the fact that Mv. Walker on starting out weighed
one hundred and sixty-five pounds, but his weight
on reacliiiig RIontere}', Cal., was only one hundred
and twenty-five pounds. After some time spent
in travel, and three months in wliich he engaged in
mining, he made his way to Sacramento, where he
followed the carpenter's trade. He was in that
city at the time of the great overflow, and suc-
ceeded in saving the life of his father-in-law, who
was sick at the time. Thej' made a claim on the site
of the Capitol building and remained in California
till the fall of 1 850, when they returned by the same
route which they liad before traveled. On reaching
Van Buren County, Jlr. Walker once more resumed
carpentering, in which line of business he has since
continued operations. Many of the important
structures of the city and communit}' were erected
by him or under his immediate supervision. He
built the first frame hoase in Ottumwa, which at
the time consisted of two log cabins, and made the
liist cotliu, in wliieh was laid to rest Mary Ann
Hall, the first buried at that place.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Walker were born five chil-
dren, yet living — Mary, wife of John McPhenon,
of Xorthville, Spink County, S. D.; Willie, who
is a miller of Iveokuk County, Iowa; Flora, wife
of Ed Peterson, who also makes his home in North-
ville; Emma, wife of John Rank, of Chadron, Neb.;
and Morris, who is a resident of Kansas Cit}'. The
mother of this famil3' was called to her final rest
on the 29th of August, 1873. She was a member
of the Christian Church and a lady greatly be-
loved for her man3' excellencies of character. On
I he 3d of June, 1886, Mr. Walker was again mar-
ried, his second union being with Mrs. Sarah Mc-
Nee, widow of William McNee.

In political sentiment Mr. Walker is independ-
ent, casting his ballot for the man and not the
party. He was honored by his fellow-citizens with
the office of Mayor, which he filled acceptably and
with credit to himself and his constituents. How-
ever, he lias never sought political preferment as
his business occupies his entire time and attention.
(^uietl3- and faithfullj' he performs the duties of
citizenship, and bj' his ui)right life and honorable
course wins the respect of all with whom he comes in
contact. As a pioneer he has lived to witness the

vast changes which have taken place, has partici-
pated in the wondeiful growth and development,
and has the honor of being known as one of the
fathers of the county, where for more than half a
century he has made his home.

SAAC C. GILLETT, a pioneer of Fairfield, now
a resident of Sigourney, Keokuk County,
Iowa, was born in Cattaraugus County, N. Y.,
Januar}' 19, 1825. and is a son of Samuel Gillett,
who was born March 28, 1799. In 1822 he mar-
ried and afterwards removed to Cattaraugus
County, and thence, in 1837, to Iroquois County,
111. In January, 1838, the family removed to
F^-anklin County, Ohio, and in the spring of 1846
came to Iowa, locating in Jefiferson County, near
Fairfield, on the farm now owned by W. E. Groff.
The mother died August 16, 1846, and the father
departed this life on the 18th of January, 1848.

Isaac C. Gillett accompanied his parents in their
migrations until they settled in Iowa. He was
reared on a farm and was married near Birming-
ham, A'an Buren Couutj, February 17, 1848, to
Miss Maria Groesbeck, a daughter of Peter and
Mary Groesbeck. Mrs. Gillett was born in Wash-
ington County, N. Y., June 1, 1827. Their union
was blessed with five children, three sons and two
daughters, as follows: Mary, born November 22,
1848, is now the wife of William Gann of Sig-
ourney, Iowa; Sarah M., born August 12, 1850,
died in infancy; Orlando G., born October 14,
1853, died in infancy; Bert, born July 14,1856,
married Miss Mrginia E. Ratcliff and is now a
photographer of Fairfield; Edmund M., born May
11, 1858, is single and resides in Fairfield.

Mr. Gillett, the father of this family, is a wagon-
maker by trade and carried on business in Birming-
ham, Van Buren C'ounty, for several j^earg. In the
fall of 1856 he moved to Blonroe County, Iowa,
where he engaged in farming with good success
until 1859. He then returned to Birmingham and
at that place made his home until 1873, when he
removed to Sigournej', his jiresent place of resi-
dence. He is a Republican in politics and with

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

173

his wife belongs to tlie Presbyterian Ciuircli. So-
cially, Mr. Gillett is a nieinl)er of Sigourney Lodge,
No. 98, I. O, O. F. and is highly respected by all
who know him.

ENRY FRUSH, deceased, was born in Balti-
more County, Md., October 15, 1802, and
died at his home, in Jefferson County, on
the 22d of August, 1874. He was a eiib-
stantial farmer, and was respected by all who knew
him. The family to which he belonged was of
German origin. When about eight years of age,
his parents removed to Belmont Count}', Ohio,
■where he grew to manhood. In Wheeling, Va., on
the 6th of December, 1830, he wedded Miss Mary
Shepherd, a native of Jefferson County, Ohio, born
August 7, 1810, and a daughter of William and
Catherine (Rip[)eth) Shepherd. Her parents were
natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania respectively,
and were married and lived for some lime in Jef-
ferson Count}', Ohio, after which they removed to
Tuscarawas Co'jnty. Mr. Shepherd laid o'at the
town of Leesville, built the first honse in it, and
made other improvements. The dwelling which
he erected is still standing. He engaged in mer-
chandising for a livelihood. About 1840 he re-
moved with his family to Van Buren County, lowa^
where his wife died at the age of fifty-two years,
leaving eleven children. Afterward he was again
married and removed to Appanoose County, Iowa,
where his death occurred at the age of seventy-
five years. By his last wife he had three children.
Mrs. Frush is the third in order of birth in the
family of eleven children. Upon her marriage with
our subject, they settled on a farm in Belmont
County, Ohio, but later removed across the line
into Monroe County, where the husband owned
and improved a good farm. In 1850 they cast their
lot with the early settlers of Jefferson County, Iowa,
at the same time purchasing three hundred acres of
land two miles north of Fairfield, of which Mis.
Frush still owns one hundred and sixty acres. They
lived in the city until a house of the pioneer style
could be built on their land, and then removed to

their new home. Mr. Frush was a stirring and
successful farmer, who accomplished whatever he
undertook. Politically, he was a Whig in early
life, and later was a Republican, but took no
prominent jiart in political affairs. The Methodist
Church of the community hfid no more zealous
member, and that organization also finds in his
wife an earnest worker. The final summons came
to Mr. Frush on the 22d of August, 1874, and amid
the sorrows and regrets of many friends, he was
laid to rest. Though quiet and unassuming in man-
ner, he was an honor to his calling and a blessing
to the community in which he lived.

Eleven children were born of the union of Mr.
and Mrs. Frush, as follows: George \V., who served
three years in the Union army during the late war,
and died about three years after his discharge by
disease contracted while in the service; William A.,
a legal practitioner of Kansas; Amanda M., widow
of Johnson Moore; Sarah A., at home; Martha J.,
wife of John W. (.iuillem, a wool buyer of Fair-
field; Isabel, wife of John R. McElderry, of Fair-
field; Mary, widow of John Tansey, who died some
years after his return from the late war; James,
who served nine months in putting down the Re-
bellion, and is now on a ranch in Montana; Louisa,
wife of Eugene Freeman, a resident of Kansas;
Caroline, wife of Burdett Spencer, of Peoria;
John H., a farmer of tliis county. In addition to
her own family, Mrs! Frush has reared two children
— Angeline Hampson, wife of Asbury Shepherd,
brother of Mrs. Frush ; and Martha J. Hampson,
wife of James C. Smith.

Although she has attained the age of four-score
years, Mrs. Frush is still vigorous and retains pos-
session of her faculties to a remarkable degree.
She has lived forty years in this county and is
blessed with a good home, children and many
friends.

Wj>ILLIAM FRANK PUMPHREY, deceased,
was an early settler of Jefferson County.
In the latter part of the eighteenth century,
three brothers of that name, natives of England,
braved the dangers of an ocean voyage and located

176

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

in Virginia, wliere tliey became wealthy citizens.
One of their number joined Harrison in his Indian
campaign, and anotiier brother was the father of
our suliject. He emigrated from Virginia to Knox
County, Ohio, where in the midst of a heavily tim
bered region he developed a fine farm. His mother
was a Cromwell and a relative of Oliver Cromwell.
He married Edith Wells and died when the suliject
of this sketch was seventeen years of age.

Thus thrown on his own resources, William, in
order to provide for his own maintenance, learned
tlie carriage-maker's trade, init after following that
business a few years, began the manufacture of
windmills. About that time, in Alexandria, Ohio,
on tlie 16th of January, 1851, he wedded Miss
j\I;iry J. Morgan, who was born at St. Albans,
Licking County, Ohio, December 22, 1825, and
is the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Kinsloe,
nee Suit) Morgan. Her grandfather, Joseph Mor-
gan, a brother of Gen. Morgan, of Revolutionary
fame, emigrated to this country from Scotland,
his native land. Mrs. Pumphrey's father was born
on the 10th of P'ebruary, 1781, near Trenton, N.
J., and emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he mar-
ried Mrs. Kinsloe. She was born near Philadelphia,
Pa.. March 18, 1785, and was of Holland descent.
From the Keystone State they emigrated to Ohio,
and settling in Licking County, made a farm in
the heavy beech woods. He was one of the sub-
stantial men of the county, and was widely knovvn
throughout the region roundabout. At the time
of his death he was seventy-five j-ears of age and
his wife had attained her eighty- first year when
she was called to her final rest. They were the par-
ents of eight children, but only three of the num-
ber are now living.

Soon after his marriage, Mr. Pumphrey accom-
panied by his brother, went to Boyle County, Ky.,
and during the succeeding eight years engaged in
tlie manufacture of fanning mills in tliat State and
Tennessee. He then continued the same enterprise
in Danville and Duquoin, 111. In 18G0, we find
him in Iowa. Landing in Jefferson County on the
4th of Ma^-, he made a purchase of a quarter sec-
tion of lan<1, the greater part of which is now
comprised within the city limits of Fairfield. He
also owned an additional seven hundred acres and

in connection with the manufacture of fanning
mills which he still continued, he carried on farm-
ing. As will be seen he was ai) energetic and en-
terprising man and by the exercise of those charac-
teristics combined with good business principles, he
won for himself and family a comfortable compe-
tence.

The death of Mr. Pumphrey occurred on the 16th
of September, 1883, and his loss was felt through-
out the entire community. In his political affilia-
tions he was first a Whig and afterwards a Repub-
lican and socially was a member of the Masonic
fraternity. For many years he held membership
with the Methodist Church, was an earnest laborer
for its interests and gave liberally fur its support
and for tlie advancement of all other worthy inter-
ests.

Mrs. Pumphrey still survives her husband and
also belongs to the Methodist Church. In their
famil}' were four children — Ora B.,who was born
in Kentucky, is the wile of Gideon B. Walters;
Henry P„ born in Oliio, is the next 3'ounger; Leon
C, vvas born in Tennessee; and Rosa, is a native of
Fairfield. Since the death of the father, Henry
and Leon have managed the business affairs. Like
Mr. Pumphrey, they are industrious, energetic and
successful in all their undertakings. Thej- raise
fruit, manufacture bee hives and deal in ice, and
well deserve to be ranked among the representative
f\nd wide-awake business men of Jefferson Count}'.
The Pumphrey family is ranked among the old set-
tlers of the community and is well worthy a place
in a work i)reserving their lives and deeds.

LFREl) L. CRUMLY, a member of the
firm of C'rumly Bros. & Co., millers of
I i Pleasant Plain, is a native of Johnson
County, Mo., and a son of Isaac H. and
Rebecca Crumly, who are mentioned elsewhere in
this volume. He was born on the 21st of Sep-
tember, 1846, and w.as brought by his parents to
Iowa when a babe of two years. He received a
good English education in the district and subscrip-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

177

tiou schools, and in his youth was inured to the
hard labor of the farm, but thereby developed a
self-reliance and spirit of determination which have
been important factors in his success in after life. At
the age of twent^'-two, he bought a farm of Mty
acres, which he operated for ten years, adding many
valuable improvements, but in 1879, he sold out,
removing to the village of Pleasant Plain. He then
formed a partnership with his fatiier as a member
of the firm of I. H. Crumly & Son, lumber and
grain dealers. The connection continued about
two j'ears, when he bought out his father's interest
in the business which he has since controlled. A
liberal patronage has rewarded his efforts, and he
now has a large trade, selling from twelve to fif-
teen car-loads of lumber per year. On the 5th of
April, 1887, he became a member of the firm of
Crumly Bros. & Co., which was composed of
the following named gentlemen: A. L. Crumly,
C. J. Mayer, and W. A. Crum!}'. Later Isaac
Crumly purchased the interest of Mr. Ma3-er, and
the firm is now cum|)(_)sed of tiie three Crunil3-
gentlemen. They are the owners ol the fine Centen-
nial i\Iiil with a complete medium roller process,
the cai)acity of which is sixt3'-five liarrels of Hour
per daj'. Mr. Crumly gives his [lersonal super-
vision to the mill, while his son superintends the
lumber business.

On the 14th of February, 1870, in Pleasant Plain,
Mr. Crumly was united in marriage witli Mrs.
Mary J. Hull, widow of Samuel Hull, b\- whom she
had one child, a daughter, Lottie M., who is now
the vvife of A. C. Crumli'. By the union of our
subject and his worthy wife, there was born a son,
Edward N.. whose birth occurred November 24,
1870. lie has received liberal educational advan-
tages, was a student in the I'leasant Plain Acad-
emy, and is a young man of much promise. He
has already displayed business abilitj' of a superior
order, and will doubtless in time become one of the
leading citizens of the couctty.

Mr. Crumly and his family are members of the
Society of Friends, and are liberal supportei's of
the cause, and give freel}' tov/ard the advancement
of the work. In i)olitical sentiment, he is a stal-
wart Republican, inflexible in his adherence to the
party princiiiles. Since casting his first vote for

President Grant, he has never'failed to deposit a
b:ill()t for the Republican candidate,"] He has often
represented hisitownship in the county conventions,
and is an influential member in those assemblies, yet
is not a politician in the sense of office seeking, car-
ing nothing for the honors or emolument of public
office. On the solicitation of friends, however, he
accepted the position of Township Clerk, which he
filled acee|)tably for four 3'ears. Mr. Crumly is a
man well informed on all questions of general in-
terest, whether political or otherwise, and is; ac-
counted one of the worthy and valued citizens of
the communit3- in which he makes his home. Asa
business man he is far-sighted and sagacious, con-
siders well before taking a step in an3- direction,
and is the soul of honor in all his dealings. The
greatest confidence is manifested by his patrons,
who know him to be a man of sterling worth, in-
capable of low or little actions. His family occupies
a high position in the social world, and their home
is always open for the reception of their many
friends who are numbered among the best citizens
of Pleasant Plain and vicinity.

OSEPII P. ROBERTS, deceased, was born in
Wa3'ne County. Ind., August 23, 1819, and
his parents were among the early settlers of
that State. At tlic earlv age of fifteen yearg
he began life for himself, following teaming be-
tween Richmond and Cincinnati, and while thus
engaged he formed the acquaintance of Miss Janet
Young, with whom he was united in marriage in
Butler County, Ohio, on the 4th of September, 1851.
That was her native county, her birth having oc-
curred September 2, 1831. Her famil3' had long
been connected with the history of that eoramun-
it3'. Her paternal grandfather, James Young, in a
ver3' earl3' da3' emigrated from Pennsylvania to
Butler Count3', where he built the first house in the
community and also the first mill. Her maternal
grandfather was also one of the pioneer settlers of
that region and her parents, Andrew P, and Rebecca
(Kirkpatrick) Y'oung, were born in Butler Count3\
Their entire lives they spent in their native State,

178

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

iind in the community where they made their home
they were liighly respected citizens. Mr. Young
served as a Colonel in the Mexican War and was
honored with the offices of Postmaster and Mayor
of Collinsville. - He took a prominent part in local
politics, was an influential citizen in the community
and had a wide acquaintance throughout the sur-
rounding country. His business was that of mer-
chandising for many years but in his later life he
followed farming. His generous impulses, his
benevolence and liberal support of all that could
benefit tiie community made him a valued citizen
and won him the confidence and high regard of the
entire community. He was initiated into the high-
est degree of Odd Fellowship, was a Whig and
Republican in politics, and in iiis religious associa-
tions was a follower of the doctrines advocated by
the Seceder Presbyterian Church. His wife died
on the 16th of February, 1851, and six years later
he married Mrs. Maria Hucheson, who is still liv-
ing. His death occurred on the 12th of February,
1884.

Upon his marriage, Mr. Roberts took his bride
to Richmond, Ind., where for three years they made
their home. The West, with its promises of rapid
growth and development having attracted his at-
tention,' he determined to seek a location beyond
the Mississippi and in the autumn of 1854 came to
Fairfield for the purpose of bettering his financial
condition. For some five years he engaged in
teaming and then removed to a farm, but that sea-
son crops were bad and he soon returned to the
city, where he devoted his attention to the livery
business for three j'ears, again returning to farm
life; twelve years he was engaged in agricultural
pursuits and as a stock dealer became widely known.
He introduced into the county the first Poland-
China hog and also the Scotch Clyde horses, and
did not a little for the advancement of the grade
of stock in the community. In 1873 we again find
him in Fairfield devoting his time and energies
to the coal business, in connection with wliich he
was also engaged in buying and shipping stock.
His death occurred on the 26th of August, 1878,
and was the occasion of much regret throughout
the community, for the county had lost one of its
best citizens, iiis neighbors a faithful friend and his

wife a kind and devoted husband. He was a stir-
ring and energetic business man who was ever
ready to aid in the advancement of any enterprise
calculated to benefit the community ,and in his politi-
cal affiliations he was a stanch supporter of Repub-
lican principles. During the Civil War he held the
office of Deputy United States Marshal for the dis-
trict. Mrs. Roberts, who still survives her husband,
is a member of the Methodist Church and a most
estimable lady.

\fj AMES F. CRAWFORD, a leading grocer of
Fairfield, has been continuously engaged in
his present line of business since 1862, cov
ering a period of twenty-eight consecutive
years. He is a Virginian by Ijiith and is of Scotch
and English descent. His father, James Crawford,
was a native of Westmoreland County, Pa., and
married Margaret Fletcher, who was born in Butler
County of the same Stale. Their marriage, how-
ever, was celebrated in V'irginia, whither they had
removed with their respective families in j-outh.
By trade Mr. Crawford was a blacksmith and fol-
lowed that business as a means of supjjort until
his death, which occurred, from cholera, in 1834,
at which time three of his sons also died from the
same disease. Some years later, in 1849, his widow
removed with their family to Fairfield, Iowa, where
she spent the remainder of her days, dying at the
age of eighty-two years.

Our subject was born in Brook County, Va, now
West Virginia, on the 28th of June, 1833, and spent
iiis boyhood days in his native State. When a
youth of seventeen years he started for the West,
whither his mother had preceded him, auil journey-
ing by boat at length reached the Iowa shore and
proceeded on his way to Fairfield. Arrived at his
destination, he entered the employ of his brother-
in-law, Joel E. Campbell, with whom he remained
as general salesman for six years. At the expira-
tion of that time, forming a partnership with G. M.
Chilcott, he bought out his employer. Three
months later the stock was divided, Mr. Chilcott
taking it to Nebraska, where he traded it for real

THE NEW YORK ,
pUBLICLIBRARY

ASTO-J. LFNOX

A^:t^

':m,/h^/u//

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

1!S1

estate, but the property proved of little value and
caused a fall of the house in the financial crash of
1857. Mr. Crawford gathered what he could from
tlie ruins and once more embari«ed in business, liis
location being Salina, Iowa. One year later he again
traded for real estate, and on his return from the
West secured a position as salesman with Daniel
Young, a dry-goods merchant. When the war
broke out he enlisted in Company E, Second Iowa
Infantry, but when the regiment was mustered in
he was rejected. Soon afterwards lie received an
api)ointment from President Lincoln as Postmaster
of Fairfield, and held the position during a portion
of Johnson's administration, his term covering a
lieriod of six j'ears. In the meantime, in I 862, in
company with David Achcson, he embarked in the
grocery business, which he has continued up to the
present time with fair success. About 1863 he en-
listed in tlie Forty-lifth Iowa Infantry (one hundred
day men) and served until the expiration of his term.
His partner, David Acheson. carried on the gro-
cer}' business in his absence, but after his return
from the war the connection was discontinued, Mr.
Crawford Laving since been alone in business.

In Fairfield, Iowa, in the inontli of Ma}', 18G7,
Mr. Crawford led to the marriage altar Miss Ciiar-
lotte A. Shaffer, daughter of William Shaffer, and
a native of Zanesville, Ohio. Unto them has been
born one child, a daughter, Margaret, who is now
the wife of Harry W. Medes, of Fairfield. Mrs.
Crawford is a member of the INIethodist Episcopal
Church. In political sentiment Mr, Crawford is a
stanch Republican, having supported that party since
its organization. In addition to the ofHce of Post-
master he has served in various official positions,
was nine terms City Treasurer, was also Alderman
several times and Township Trustee. Social!}', lie
is a member of the Legion of Honor, the Red
Cross and the Odd F'ellows fraternity.

In his business ventures Mr. Crawford has been
quite successful, notwithstanding he has met with
several drawbacks. In 1883 his store building and
residence were destroyed by lire and the insurance
being small he lost heavily, about ¥3,500. With
characteristic energy, however, he rebuilt and was
fast gaining his old posiiioii, wlien lie had the mis-
fortune to lose -^2,600 in a bank failure. Industry,

enterprise and determination, however, have over-
come these obstacles, and his business is now in a
flourishing condition, his annual sales amounting
to from $30,000 to 140,000. He is regarded as ono
of the leading business men of Fairfield, is genial
and courteous in disposition and wins hosts of
friends.

ON. HENRY BLAKE MITCHELL,a widely
known and highly respected pioneer of Jef-
S<^ ferson County, whose residence here covers
half a century, is a native of New Hamp-
shire. He was born in the town of Claremont, Sulli-
van County, on the otii of .Tuly, 1818, and is a son of
William and Dolly Mitchell. His father was born
in Boston, Mass., in 1768, of English parentage,
and in early life became a farmer amidst the rug-
ged hills of the old Granite State. Henry B. was
reared on a farm, and in the district schools of
the neighborhood acquired liis education. He was
trained from his youth to habits of industry and
frugality, and learned at an early day to cultivate
a spirit of independence and self-reliance that has
characterized his more mature years. At the age
of fourteen he lost his father, and from that time
was obliged to make liis way in the world unaided.
He worked awhile in a paper mill until he had ob-
tained a fair knowledge of that trade, and when he
had reached his majority, set out for the West.
Not being blessed with any great amount of wealth,
he traveled as economically as possible. He made
the first stage of his journey from his home in New
Hampshire to Troy, N. Y. on a wagon, thence
to Buffalo by canal, and by boat from Buffalo to
Cleveland, where he again traveled by canal to
Portsmouth, and down the Ohio and up the Missis-
sippi Rivers by boat to the Iowa Territory, loca-
ting in Keokuk. He at once joined liis brother
Thomas, who had made a claim at a point two and
a half miles west of tlie city of Fairfield, Jefferson
County, his settlement dating from November 1,
1840. They erected a frame house on their claim,
the first west of Fairfield. The timbers, including
rafters, were all cut and hewed from native trees,
and the clapboards were split from the same ma-

182

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

terial. In 1844, on the UUi of February, the broth-
ers seleeterl a site on Camp Creek for a tavern, where
they erected three houses, two beuig block houses,
and tiie other a log cabin. On the completion of
tlie buildings, tliey opened a tavern which was
known as the Mitchell, and became a famous half
way stopping place on the route between the bound-
ary line of the ■■Indian land" and Ft. Des Moines,
and was on the direct road between Des Moines,
Keokuk and Iowa City. Mr. Mitchell continued
with his brother two years and nine months, and
then returned to the old claim in Fairfield, which
tliej' had entered, and which he still owns, having
made his home thereon until March, 1890, when he
removed to the city.

On the 26th of October 1847, at what is now
known as Tool's Point, Jasper County, Iowa. Mr.
Mitchell was joined in wedlock with Miss Marie E.,
daughter of Adam Tool. Mrs. Mitchell was born
in Washington County, Va., now West Virgina,
and came to Iowa with her parents in 1842. They
had spent a few years in Illinois on their way West
from Virginia, and were early pioneers of Jasper
County, this State. Tool's Point was named in
lionor of her father. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have
nine children living, and have lost one — Susan
Delia, the eldest, was born September 4, 1848, and
is the wife of L. L. Wilkins, of Fairfield; Eflie I.,
who vvas boni Jul}' 20, 1850, is now the wife of
Dorr J. Dixon, of Olmsted County, Minn.; John
1). was born February 26, 1853, is unmarried, and
resides with his parents in Fairfield; Helen E., born
May 22, 1858, is the wife of D. W. Ingram, of Os-
ceola, Iowa; Marietta and Henrietta, twins, who
were born August 11, 18G0, became the wives of
F. M. Albaugh, of New Cumberland, Tuscarawas
Count}', Ohio, and U. B. Rogers, of Fairfield, Iowa,
respectively; Cora Adeline, who was born April 5,
1863, married Charles II. Corbett, of Fairfield
Township; Carrie T. was born March 17, 1866;
Tliomas A., September 12, 1870. William H., who
was born October 17, 1864, died at the age of ten
years.

In politics, Mr. Mitchell was a Whig in early
life, and in 1852, was elected by that party to the
House of Rei)resentalives of Iowa, becoming a
member of the Fourth General Assembly. Since

the organization of the Republican party, he has
been identified with that botly, and is numbered
among its active and intluential supporters. For
nine years he has been a member of the Jefferson
County Board of Supervisors, and with the excep-
tion of one year has been Chairman of that body.
He was also President of the Board of Directors of
Fairfield Township school district, for seventeen
years. During his term of service as Chairman of
the County Board, he had the supervision of the
construction of one huntlred and fortj'-five bridges
for the county. In 1886, Mr. Mitchell was again
elected to the Legislature, when he was forcibly re-
minded of I he progress his Slate had made in the
period of thirty-six years that had elapsed since he
was first a member of the House. The magnificent
Capitol building and the large representation; the
difference in style of dress and the manner of the
members, made a striking contrast to the humble
quarters in Iowa City, where the j'oung State gov-
ernment first met, and where the modest but cool-
headed pioneer and backwoodsman for the first time
|)erhaps, found himself bearing the responsibility
of a law-maker.

Mr. Mitchell assisted in organizing the Jefferson
County Agricultural .Societ}'. and was its President
for fifteen years. He was one of the founders of
the State Agricultural Society at Fairfield, where
the exhibitions were held the first two years. He
and his family attend the Episcopal Church, but
he has always been a liberal contributor to various
other denominations. All matters of public inter-
est pertaining to Fairfield or Jefferson County,
have received his attention and been benefited
thereby. He has always been prompt to act, and
liberal in his support of all deserving enterprises.
He is possessed of good executive ability and sound
judgment, and his services in public capacities have
been sought and appreciated by his fellow-citizens.
His strict integrity and fidelity to every trust re-
posed in him have won for him the utmost confi-
dence and respect of all, regardless of party ties.
While a resident of the city, Mr. Mitchell still owns
his fine farm of two hundred and ninet3"-five acres,
one of the best improved and most valuable tracts
of land in Jefferson County. His brother Thomas,
of whom former mention has been ni.ade, is still liv-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL AL15UM.

18.*1

ing near the old tavern stand of pioneer times, but
in the midst of a thriving little city that bears his
name, or the name of Mitchellville. He is looked
up to with great veneration as the leading spirit
among the old settlers of Polk County, where he
has resided nearly half a centiny.

' OSEPII DRAKES, deceaseil, wiio for some
years was numbered among the respected
citizens of Van liiiren County, was born in
J Lincolnshire, I']ngland, March 15, 1809, and
died at his home in Ilarrisburg Township, on tlie
5th of March, 1881. His parents, Thomas and
Mar}' (Hill) Drakes, were also natives of England,
and unto them was born a family of nine chil-
dren, of whom lie was fifth in order of birth. His
father engaged in agricultural i)ursuits, and in con-
sequence the days of his boyhood and youth were
spent upon the farm, where he became acquainted
with the business in all its details. He acquired a
common-school education and remained at home
until attaining his majority, when he resolved to
seek his fortune in the land across the waters. In
a blow-going sailship in 1830, he embarked for the
New World, and after a voj'age of several weeks
arrived at his destination. For four years he was
in the employ of Harry Livingston as private
coachman, and for a number of years served in the
same capacit}' for the illustrious Daniel Webster,
one of America's great statesmen.

In 1841, while in Pennsylvania, Mr. Drakes was
united in the holy bonds of matrimony- with Miss
Jane Nixon, and located in the western part of the
State, where he drove a stage coach belonging to
the Good Intent stage line until the autumn of
1848. Hearing favorable reports from the new
State of Iowa, and the excellent opportunities and
advantages afforded its new settlers, he then de-
termined to make his home in that far western re-
gion,and acc(iuii)auied by his wife, at length reached
Van Burcn County. They settled on a farm, which
is still occupied by Mrs. Drakes, and purchased
eighty acres of wild land, which has since been
transformed into a most comfortable home. Year

by year saw improvements added, the work of cul-
tivation carried forward and industry and enter-
prise changing the once unfruitful regions into
fields of rich fertility, which pai<l a golden tribute
to the care and cultivation of the owner. Mr.
Drakes lived to see much of the growth and devel-
opment of the counts'. He was a valued citizen,
and one that took an active interest in all that per-
tained to the welfare of the community. As before
stated, he died on the olh of March, 1881, respected
by all who knew him. He was an active Repub-
lican in politics and served for many years as
Justice of the Peace. He was reared in the faith
of tje Church of F^ngland and .adhered to its prin-
ciples throughout life.

Mrs. Drakes, who still survives her husband, was
born in Fayette County, Pa., March 12, 1819, and
is a daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Brian) Nixon.
In a family of fourteen children, of which she is
the eldest,eleven grew to manhood and womanhood?
and eight of tiie number still abide, namely: Mrs.
Drakes; Nancy, wife of J. A. Jones, of Osceola,
Clark County, Iowa; Mariar L., widow of William
Spaw, of Wayne County, Iowa; Mrs. Juliet Israel,
deceased; Mar3% now Mrs. Henry Keck, of Harris-
burg Township; Eliza A., wife of Cary Stevens,
who makes his home in Adams Count}-, Iowa;
Sarali, wife of E. B. Campbell, a resident farmer
of Cedar Township, Van Bureu County; Clarinda,
who wedded A. J. Jacobs, of the same township;
Ella T., wife of J. W. Ellerton, of Aurora, Neb.;
Phoebe A., deceased wife of R. B. Junk; Joseph C,
who was a member of Company C, Eighth Iowa
Cavalry, and was killed at the battle of Frank-
lin, Term.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Drakes was never
blessed with children of their own, but they reared
as an own son Leroy Junk, son of George A.
Junk, who was a brother-in-law of Mrs. Dr.-kfri and
died in Andersonville Prison, September 13, 1864
having been captured while on the Stoneman raid
through Georgia. Leroy grew up on the farm,
surrounded by the loving care and attention of
Mr. and Mrs. Drakes, and in October, 1883, was
united in marriage with Miss Florence, daughter of
Daniel and Lavina (Warner) Boerstler, of this
county. After spending three or four j-ears in

184

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Nebraska, thej' returned to Van Buren County,
and Leroy has now taken charge of the homestead
farm of Airs. Drakes, and will in future here re-
side. Unto the young couple have been born three
children — George A.. Edith and Ethel.

(^p^HOMAS S. TILSON, deceased, was for some
(f[^S.\ years a snccessful business man of Fairfield,
V<s-^ and as one of its re()resentative citizens we
are pleased to record this sketch. The family is of
lilnglish origin. The parents of our subject, Joseph
and Elizabeth (Dilkes) Tilson, were both natives
of Leicestershire, England, where they were mar-
ried. Seven children were born unto them in that
countr3', and after their emigration to America,
which occurred in 1842, the family circle was in-
creased by the birth of five children. On their
arrival in this country, Mr. and Mrs. Tilson made
a location in New Jersey and during their five
years' residence in that Slate our subject was born,
he first opening his t'3'es to the light of day in
Newark on the 26th of April, 1846. The following
year witnessed the removal of the family to Ohio,
and in 1854, we find them located in Fairfield, Iowa,
where Mr. Tilson engaged in blacksmilhing. His
wife died in the sixty-first year of her age, after
which he seemed to become possessed of a s\nnt. of
unrest and spent much oi his time in traveling,
crossing the ocean between P^ngland and the United
States eight times. His death occurred in his na-
tive land at the age of sevent_y-seven yeai's.

In his father's shop, Thomas S. Tilson learned the
blacksmith's trade, which he followed for some
years. It was his desire to enter the service of his
country immediately after the breaking out of the
late war, but he was restrained from doing so by
his father. However, on the 21st of September,
1863, feeling that the need of his country was
greater than his father's restraining powers, he ran
away from home and enlisted in Company I, of the
Ninth Iowa Cavalry, serving almost three years as
a blacksmith. From hard work and exposure he
contracted disease from which he never recovered,
buthehad the consciousness of knowing he had done

what he believed to be his duty and that he had
served his country faithfully and well. He received
his discharge on the 15th of March, 1866, in Little
Rock, Ark.

On being mustered out, Mr. Tilson at once re-
turned to his home and on the 2d of October he led
to the marriage altar Miss Maria Young, daughter
of Andrew P. and Rebecca (Kirkp,atrick) Young.
Mrs. Tilson was born in Butler County, Ohio, June
27, 1846, and came to Jefferson County when about
fourteen years of age. Upon his marriage, Mr.
Tilson settled in Fairfield and a few years later
formed a p.artnership wiiii L. L. AVilkins in the liv-
ery business. This connection, which originated
in 1872, continued unliroken until the death of Mr.
Tilson on the 5th of February, 1887. The firm
gained great popularity, was noted for its prompt-
ness and correctness in filling all orders and for the
genial and courteous treatment of its patrons. Mr.
Tilson was an acknowledged business man of merit
and an esteemed citizen. In politics he was a sup-
porter of the Republican party and felt a deep in-
terest in its success and welfare. To the church and
other benevolent interests he was a liberal contrib-
utor, and his loss was felt in nuny ways through-
out the count}-.

The family of Mr. Tilson consists of wife and
three children: Harry G., who is .associated with
J. E. Wilkins in the livery business; Hattie G.,wife
of Albert C. Jones, a druggist of Fairfield, and
Nettie E., who is with her mother. Mrs. Tilson still
makes her home in Fairfield and is an active mem-
ber of the Methodist Church.

♦^^^i

ff/AMES EDWARD WILKINS, who is en-

g.Tged in the livery business in Fairfield, Jef-
ferson Count}', was born in Sussex County,
Del, September 15, 1829, and is a son of
one of the heroes of the War of 1812. His father,
Elijah Wilkins, was also a native of Delaware,
learned the blacksmith's trade in his youth, and fol-
lowed that occupation the greater jiart of his life.
He wedded Miss Mary Lock wood, who was also a
native of Delaware, and the daughter of a Revolu-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

185

tionaiy soldier. TLey removed to Eaton, Preble
County, Ohio, about 183G, antl afterniueteen gears'
residence in tlie Buckeye iState, in 1855, made tbeir
way to Keoliuk, Iowa. Botli are now dcce.nsed.
The fatlier died at tlie age of sixty-iive years, but
bis wife readied the advanced age of eighty-one
years. Tlieir remains now lie buried in tlie ceme-
tery of Sanduskj', Lee Count}^ Iowa. Both were
membeis of the INIethodist Church, and led earnest,
consistent Christian lives. iSIr. Wiikins cast his
ballot with tlie Whig party.

The subject of this sketcli was the fifth in a fam-
ily of eight children, who lived to mature j-ears,
and of whom four yet abide. When only eight
years of age he entered his fatlier's shop, being then
so small that in order to strike the anvil, he had to
stand upon a box. His family were in limited cir-
cumstances, and in consequence he received no edu-
cational privileges, never having been permitted to
attend school more than four months. He maj-
truly be called a self-made man, for at the age of
thirteen years he began to make his own way in the
worid, depending upon his own resources for a
livelihood. He engaged in freighting between
Cincinnati, Richmond, lud., and Uayton, Ohio,
driving a six-horse team for $8 per month. This
he continued for some eight years, when he turned
his attention to other pursuits.

In Butler County, Ohio. March 10, 1853. Mr.
Wiikins was united in marriage with Barbara E.
Young, who was born in the county, where their
union was celebrated. He then engaged in farming
for a time, and in 1854 he badegoodby to his
old home, and emigrated to Fairfield. Sonic time
later, he purchased a farm, to the cultivation of
which he devoted his time and attention until Au-
gust, 1861, when feeling that his country needed
his services, he responded to the call for troops, and
donned the blue, becoming a member of Company
F, Third lovva Cavalry. He was detailed as wagon-
master, and served in that capacity for three 3ears,
after which he spent eleven months in charge of a
lirovision train wliicii supplied the forces of Wil-
son on his raid from Grand Springs, Ala. to At-
lanta, Ga.

On receiving his discharge from the service, Mr.
Wiikins returned home and once more resumed

farming, which he continued until 1881, when he
came to Fairfield. The succeeding five i'cars he
si)ent 111 the lively, and then devoted two ye.irs
to the ice business, after which he resumed opera-
tions in the former line. When embarking upon
that pursuit he was associated with his brother,
L. L. Wiikins, but is now a partner of T. S. Tilson.
Mr. Wiikins is one of the most ex[)erienced horse-
men ill the county, and since thirteen years of age,
in freighting as wagon-master, in farming, and as
liveryman, he has been constantly handling that
noble animal. All that he has is the result of his
own efforts, and his possessions comprise a good
farm and his stable with its horses and attachments.
Mr. Wiikins supports the principles of the Repub-
lican party, and for two years served as Alderman
of Fairfield.

Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Wiikins as follows : Alonzo E,, who is associated
with his father in the livery business; Kdwin A., a
railroad employe; William L., who is a traveling
salesman for the Buckeye Com[)any ; Ada M., wife
of Lee R. Van Patton; and Kittie, who is still with
her parents.

ERT CULLETT, the leading photographer
of Fairfield, and one of its wide-awake and
f)lli enterprising young citizens, has spent the
i^ greater part of his life in this State. He
was born in Birmingham, Van Bureu County, Iowa,
on the 14th of July, 185G, and is a son of Isaac C.
and Maria (Groesbeck) Gillett, who were early
settlers of Van Buren County, and are now living
in Keokuk County.

The early life of our subject passed uneventfull}-,
unmarked by any event of special importance. His
primary education, acquired in the public schools,
was supplemented by a couise in the academy of
Birmingham and in 1873, he accompanied his par-
ents to Sigourney, Iowa, wlieie he learned the busi-
ness in which he is at present engaged. He opened
a gallery in Nickerson, Kan., in 1882, and after-
ward engaged in the same pursuit in Emporia and
Clay Center, of the same State. Three years have
passed since he located in Fairfield and in that time

18C

PORTRAIT AND BIOORAPIIICAL ALliUiM.

he has succeeded in securing a liberal patronage
sucli as is deserved by his merit and ability. His
studio is situated in the new brick buildino; just
erected by F. W. Junken, at the southwest coiner of
the square and contains all the appurtenances and
improvements known to that branch of business.

The marriage of Mr. Gillett was celebrated in
Fairfield on Christmas Day of 1878, Miss Virginia
E. RatcliCf becoming his wife. The lady is a na-
tive of the city which she now makes her home
and is a daughter of R. F. Ratcliff. Two interest-
ing children graced their union, a son and daughter,
but the former, Robert Clyde, died at the age of
ten years. The daughter is Bessie Maud.

Mr. Gillett is an Odd Fellow, belonging to
Sigourney Lodge. No. 98, I. O. O. F. and his wife
holds membership in the Presbyterian Church. He
has been in business in his present line for eight
years and is an expert and popular artist.

^^

■^ OHN T. ELLYSON, one of the leading bus-
iness men of Pleasant Plain, is now carrying
on a wagon and re|)air sho]> in that thriving
little village. He was born in Cass County,
Mich., June 6, 1852, his parents being Zachariah
and Esther C. (Talbot) EUyson. His father was
born in Mrginia on the 5th of February, 1794.
He volunteered for the War of 1812, but the com-
liany in which he enlisted was not called out. He
learned the trade of a mill-wright and mechanic
and followed those pursuits during the greater part
of his life. He was twice married. In Virginia he
was joined in wedlock with Miss Nancy Talbert
and with his young wife removed from that State
to Ohio, where he resided until 1848, when he be-
came a resident of Michigan. After eleven years'
residence in the latter State, we find him located
in 1859 in Washington County, Iowa, and three
years later he became a resident of Jefferson
County, where he spent his remaining days, his
death occurring in Pleasant Plain. December 3,
1867. During the Civil War his i)atriotic impulses
prompted him to offer his services in defense of
the Union, but on account of his age he was re-

jected. When the Greybeard Regiment was being
organized, he again tendered his services, when much
to his disappi>intnient he was again rejected.

By the first inairiage of Zachariah p]llyson twelve
children were born, ten of whom grew to maturity
during the residence of the family in Oliio. The
other two died in childhood. In Cass County,
Mich., in 1850, Mr. Ell3'Son was again married, his
second union being with Miss Esther C. Talbot,
daughter of John and Mary (McClure) Talbot.
Her mother was a daughter of William and Martha
(Chaffin) MeClure, of Grayson County, ^'a., where
Mrs. Talbot died. The mother of our subject was
born December 1, 1812, in Virginia, and her death
occurred at Pleasant Plain. Jefferson County, Iowa,
on the 28th of October, 1871. She was reared a
member of the Society of Friends, but early in life
she joined the Methodist Church and continued a
consistent member of that bod^- until her death.
By her marriage with Mr. EUyson she became the
mother of two children — John T., whose name
heads this sketch, and Lj-dia Ellen, born December
7, 1854, who is now the wife of Frank L. Eck, a
prosperous merchant of Pleasant Plain. Zachariah
EUyson was reared in tlie faith of the Society of
Friends but was expelled from the church on ac-
count of his marriage with one not of that belief.
In his latter years he joined the Methodist Church
and remained, until bis death, a faithful and con-
sistent member, alive to the interests of the cause.
From childhood he was opposed to the institution
of slavery, did all in his [jower in opposition to
the evil, and when the combination known as the
Underground Railroad was formed, he opened his
home as one of its stations. He joined the Repub-
lican party on its organization and became one of
its stalwart supporters.

John T. EUyson, whose name heads this sketch,
spent his early boyhood days in Michigan, and
after coming to Iowa obtahied a common-school
education. At the age of sixteen j'ears he began
life for himself, and has since made his own way in
the world. He learned the trade of wagon-making,
and in the intervals of hard labor obtained his
education by attending school for about three
months each winter. In 1877, he embarked in
business for himself, opening a wagon and repair

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

187

shop in Pleasant Plain, where he has carried on
operations continuously since. He does general
repairing, waoon-raalving and machine work, and
also conducts an undertaking establishment. He
started in life a poor bo}- with a cash capital of only
$200, but he possessed industry and thrift, and the
satisfactory manner in which he performed his la-
bors won the confidence of the public and secured
a liberal patronage. He is now numbered among
the substantial citizens of the community and
would prove an addition of importance to any lo-
cality in which he might choose to locate.

On the ^eth of October, 1881. Mr. Ellyson was
united in marriage with Miss Cora B. Smith, a
daugliter of Samuel and Margaret E. (Ream) Smitii,
who were pioneers of Van Buren County, where
she was born, Februar3- 23. 1857. One cliild was
born unto tiieni but died in infancy. In political
sentiment, Mr. Ellyson is a stanch Repul)lican but
is not a politician in the sense of oftice-sceking.
However, he keeps himself well posted on political
issues and on all other topics of general interest.
Socially, he is a member of Pleasant Plain Lodge,
No. 411, I. O. O. F. Mrs. Ellyson is a member of
the Congregational Church.

^s^EORGE KLISE makes farming and stock-
(II ,—— raising his life occupation, following those
^^J4I pursuits on section 8. Harrisburg Township,
Van Buren County, where he has a pleasant home,
and all of the equipments and improvements neces-
sary to a well-regulated farm of the nineteenth cen-
tury. His father engaged in the same business
before him, and like his son, was reputed to be a
man of thrift and enterprise.

George Klise is the youngest of a family of seven
children born of the union of John and Louisa
(Coon) Klise. His father was born and reared in
Maryland, and on leaving his native .State went to
New York, where he formed the acquaintance of
Miss Coon, whose hand he sought in marriage. His
wooing being successful, they were joined in the
holy bonds of wedlock, and, as before stated, be-
came the parents of seven children. In the sum-

mer of 1841 they came to the Territory of Iowa
and in what is now Van Buren County made a lo-
cation, Mv. Klise purchasing and improving a
farm of about two hundred acres, on which he lived
until his death, in 1864. His wife survived him
several years, passing away in 1871. .She was an
active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and lived a consistent Christian life.

The birth of our subject occurred on the 8th of
August, 1842, on the old homestead of the family.
where he was also reared to manhood. His early
life passed uneventfully, but the year previous to
his attaining to man's estate he responded to his
country's call for troops to put down the rebellion,
enlisting, in August, 1862, as a member of Com-
pany I, Nineteenth Iowa Infantrj', under the com-
mand of Capt. S. Payne. He was mustered into
service at Keokuk and assigned to the Thirteenth
Army Corps, with which he participated in the
battle of Prairie Grove and the siege of Vicks-
hurg, after which orders came to march South to New
Orleans. While on a scouting expedition in Louisi-
ana lie was captured by the rebels at Sterling Farm,
and for ten months was held prisoner, being incar-
cerated at Tyler, Tex., and Shreveport, La., where
he experienced all the hardships of the Southern
prison. After almost a year of such life he was
exchanged, and rejoined his regiment in time to
participate in the capture of Spanish Fort. Soon
afterward the war was brought lo a close and in
Mobile, Ala., on the 28th of July, 186.5, he was
honorably discharged.

On the cessation of hostilities and the return of
peace Mr. Klise once more sought his home and
resumed the occupation of farming on the old
homestead. In October of the following year he
married Miss Rachel Downard, wiiose parents, .loliii
and Mary (Price) Dowiiard, were early settlers of
the count}\ Her father died in 1852, but her
mother is still living. Nine children have been
born unto Mr. and ^Mrs. Klise, as follows: Eda.
wife of Harry L. Hooper; Carrie, L^dia, Laura,
Stella, Charlie, Worthy, Newton and Grant, and all
are at home, the famil}' circle having never yet
been broken by death. In his political affiliations
Mr. Klise is a Republican, and manifests a deep in-
terest in the success of his party. He keeps him-

188

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Hclf well informed on all topics of general interest,
whether political or otherwise, and is a valued citi-
zen of the community. Socially, he is a member
of Shriver Post, Xo. 177, G. A. R, of Vernon.

^•^:-^--

I OBERT E. |ELY, a representative farmer
an'd stock-raiser of Van Buren County, rc-

iV, siding on section 8, Harrisburg Township,
"^ is a native of West Virginia. He was born
in Hampshire County, that State, on the 14th of
October, 1802, and is the eldest child of John W.
and Mary (Edwards) Ely, vvho were also natives
of the same State. When he was four years of ago
his parents started for the West and made a loca-
tion in Knox County. 111., where they remained for
twelve years, when they came to Van Buren County,
Iowa. Therefore, since his sixteenth year, Robert
E. Ely has been a citizen of this community. He
received a good English education in the common
schools and was also for two terms a student in the
Mt. Pleasant L^niversity. On attaining to man's
estate, he began life for himself, and has since been
entirely dependent upon his own resources. For u
number of years he devoted his time to the pro-
frssion of teaching during tlie winter season and
to the occupation of farming through the summer
months. Thus alternating his time, he labored on
until he had acquired sufficient capital to make an
investment in farming lands. He now owns a half
interest in a fine farm of one hundred and sixtj'
acres, his father being his partner, which he lias
operated since the year 1875. He is a practical
yet enterprising farmer, as a glance at the home-
stead will attest, and is an adept at tiie raising
of slock. In both branches of his business lie is
now meeting with good success, and in course of
time will doubtless be ranked among the pros-
perous and substantial farmers of Van Buren
County.

In 1875 Mr. Ely was united in marriage with
Miss Belle Keck, of Van Buren County, daugli-
ter of .T. A. Keck, a resident farmer of Cedar
Township. The young couple began their domes-

tic life on the farm which is still their home and
their union has been blest with an interesting
family of three children, two sons and one daugh-
ter, namelj': Harold, Raymond and Mar3'. The
parents are widel3' known throughout the commu-
nity in which they make their home, and have
many warm friends among its best citizens. In
politics Mr. Ely adheres to the Democratic party,
having been a supporter of its principles since
attaining his majoritj'. In 1880 he was nominated
by that party for the office of Recorder of Van
Buren County and polled a strong vote consider-
ing the large Republican majoritj-. He now holds
the office of Township Clerk, and by the prompt
and faithful discharge of his duties proves that
he is a capable official. Both Mr. Ely and his
wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, of IJiica, in which he holds the position
of .Steward.

-3)^^

^y SAAC II. CRUMLY, one of the most prumi-
I nent citizens of Jefferson County, is engaged
,11, in farming on section 9, Penn Townshii). He
was born in East Tennessee on December 24, 1820,
and traces his ancestry YtAvk to early Cok)nial da^'s
when his great-grandfather, William Crumly, re-
sided in Virginia. He was a large slaveholder of
that !jtate and served his country in the Revolu-
tionary War. His son William was a farmer and
removed to Tennessee when that country was first
settled. His son Abraliam was born in Greene
Countj', Tenn., in 1787. His educational advan-
tages were very limited, but by natuie he was en-
dowed with considerable oratorii'al power and was
also a fluent writer. He was one of five sons. His
eldest brother Isaac, now deceased, was a circuit
rider in the Methodist Church and resided in Greene;
Count3', Iowa; Aaron died in Tennessee; William
died in Missouri, and .Samuel ilied in Aikansas.

Abraham Crunil}-, who was the father of our
subject, remained at home assisting his father in
farm labor until he had attained his majority. He
married Miss Elizabeth Marshall, who was born on
the 2Gth of June, 179G, and was a aaunhter of

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

189

Al)i«m .111(1 Martha MarshalL Mrs. Crninly's death
occurred on the 29th of March, 1827. By her mar-
riage she became tlie mother of six children: Anna,
wife of riii.ieas Thompson, died in Missouri; Mary,
widow of Thomas Jones, is living in Pleasant
Plain; Isaac H. whose name heads this sketch, is
the third in order of birth; Samuel M. makes his
home in Nebraska; Martha became the wife of
Ohadiah Jones, but is now deceased ; Asa G. died in
Missouri. After the death of his first wife, Mr.
Crunily was again married, his second union being
with Jane McNeice. Six children were also born
unlothem — Arita and Elizabeth who are living in
Tennessee; William who died in Jefferson County,
Iowa; James G., a resident of Missouri; Aaron who
nwkes his liome in Tennessee, and Rhoda who died
in that State.

The father of this famil}" was reared in the faith
of tlie INIethodist Church but ere his marriage he
joined the Society of Friends to which his wife be-
longed. He became one of its most faithful mem-
bers and active workers and went as a companion
to Isaac Hammer on his preaching tours. He la-
bored in the church in the line of the ministry, was
overseer of the congregation and did all in his
power for the advancement of the cause and the
bettering of humanit}-. He entertained the strongest
views in regard to the question of slavery, being an
inflexible Abolitionist. He was an associate of
Lundy, the original Abolitionist, and took a promi-
nent part in agitating and discussing the question
of slavery but never lived to see the curse banished
from the land. He died in Tennessee in 1846.

Isaac H. Cruml}', whose name heads this sketch,
is inseparably connected with tlie history of Jeffer-
son County. His life record is that of a self-made
m;in and abounds in examples well worthyof imi-
talidu by the youth of the present day. His mother
died when he was a lad of seven years and he then
left home to make his own way in the world. He
worked at farm labor during the summer months
and when it was possible attending school during
the winter season but his educational advantages
were indeed very limited and at the age of twenty
he had only reached the single rule of three in
arithmetic. After attaining his majority, he at-
tended school in Blount County, Tenn., and studied

surveying, which branch of learning he completed
by private study after coming to Iowa and it has
proved a useful knowledge to him. In 1841, he
came West and entered lantl in Missouri, where he
developed a farm and remained four years. Dur-
ing that time, however, he returned to Tennessee
and in 1844, was joined in wedlock with Miss Re-
becca L. Hackney. Four years later, having sold
his farm in Missouri, he came to Jefferson County,
and made purchase of eighty acres of laud upon
which he still makes his home. A rude log cabin
had been built thereon but other improvements
there were none. He had to break the land, clear
it of brush and perform the entire work of devel-
opement and cultivation but the work of transfor-
mation is certainly complete; at least, we would
never recognize in the fine farm of to day the
original eighty acres of unimproved land upon
which not a furrow had been turned. Its boundar-
ies have also been extended until he is now owner
of three hundred acres of arable land together with
a number of lots in Pleasant Plain and an interest
in the Centennial Mill of that place. A commodious
and pleasant residence is surrounded by good barns
and outbuildings which in turn are enclosed by
waving fields of grain. The latest improved ma-
chinery lessens the labor attendant upon the culti-
vation of a farm and good grades of stock are there
found.

The sun of prosperity shone upon Mr. C'ruml3-
and everything passed along pleasantly until the
month of May, 1854, when he was called upon to
mourn the loss of his wife who died leaving four
children, but only one of the number now survives,
Alfred who is a miller of Pleasant Plain. Two
died in childhood and Elizabeth T. who became
the wife of Aaron Burgess is also deceased. On
the 20th of June, 1859, Mr. Crumly married Mis.»
Rachel Beals, daughter of Thomas and Margaret
Beals of Tennessee, who were also members of
the Society of Friends. Her mother died in the
State of her nativity but her father came to Iowa
with his sons. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Crumly have
been born seven children: William A., born March
14, 1860,is an engineer in the mill at Pleasant Plain;
Wendell P., born P'ebruary IS, 1862; Marian B.
December 29. 1K63; Emeliuc C, Ainil 7, 1866;

190

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Harvey D., February 2, 1868; Flora A., February
6, 1870, and Isaac N., April 6, 1872. Greatly
regretting the lack of educational advantages in
liis early youth, Mr. Crumly decided that his
children should not have to contend with the
same obstacle and [)rovided them with liberal op-
portuniti'^s. All have been students and two have
giaduated from the academy of Pleasant Plain, and
Marian is now in attendance at the college of Os-
kaloosa.

Probably no man in the county has done more
for the interests of its citizens than Isaac H. Crum-
Iv and certainly he deserves great credit for the
efforts he has put forth in its behalf. lu an official
capacity his services have been effective. As before
mentioned, he learned surveying and ou coming
to the county surveyed his own land, after which
he became assistant of the County Surveyor. In
1868, he was elected County Surveyor and held the
office for ten consecutive years. A period of four
yenrs then elapsed after his retirement, when he
was again elected and served two years. For one
tcim he was a member of the Board of County
Supervisors (the seconil term after the Board was
organized) and has also filled all the minor offices.
Mr. Crumly was one of the early Abolitionists, and
while living in Missouri freely declared his senti-
nienis unmindful of the threats which were made
niraiiist him. lie voted for the Freesoil candidate
when onlj- sixteen votes were cast in the township
ill support of that party. On the formation of the
Republican party he joined its ranks and has since
been a stanch supporter of its principles. He is
also a radical Prohibitionist and was instrumental
in nil little degree in the successful passage of the
prcjhibitory amendment. Mr. Crumly has also
done much to favor the cause of education and has
)iut more money into the academy of Pleasant
Plain than any other one man. In 1870, he bought
thirty acres of land adjoining the then village of
Pleasant Plain. He took into partnership in this
purchase Thomas Jones. They laid it out in park
lots and deeded ten acres to the railroad companj'
with the condition that said company should erect
a depot thereon. Mr. Cruml}' subsequently bought
out Jones' interest, and sub-divided it into town
lots, and it is now known as Crumly's addition

m

to Pleasant Plain. In 1876, with others, he formed
a company which founded the Pleasant Plain
Academy and since its organization he has been one
of its Directors and for several years was chairman
of the board. Any public enterprise which has
for its object the upbuilding and advancement of
the community is sure of his support. He and his
family are all members of the Friends' Church, of
which he has served as overseer. He is also a
member of the Peace Association and devotes seme
of his means to the spread of its doctrine and hiff
wife is Superintendent of the peace work in Pleas-
ant Plain. Years may come and go but Isaac H.
Crumly will be remembered by the citizens of
Jefferson County as one of her benefactors aisc!
founders.

AME;S D. IRISH is numbered among the
early settlers of Van Buren County, and is a
respected citizen of Keosauqua. Not only
in this county, but in other counties he has
lived the life of a pioneer and could we give a
complete record of his career it would constitute a
story of thrilling interest. He was born in Lick-
ing County, Ohio, on the 10th of November, 1825,
and is a son of James M. Irish, whose ancestors
emigrated from Holland to America during colon-
ial days. His mother, whose maiden name was
Elizabeth Dibble, was a native of Connecticut and
the two young people with their respective families
removed to Rensselear County, N. Y., where they
became acquainted and were married. The year
1816 witnessed their emigration to the wilds of
Licking County, Ohio, where they resided for
eleven years. Having a taste for pioneer pursuits
and being by nature ably fitted for the hardships
of frontier life, Mr. Irish, in 1827, resumed his
westward journey and located in Maiiison Count3',
in the Territory of Indiana. That region was
then thought to be almost beyond the borders of
civilization. In fact, the Irish family was one of
three first families to locate within the count}', two
other gentlemen by the names of Makepeace and
Allen, with their wives and children, having set-
tled in the community about the same time. Time

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

191

passed on and the (iounty became more t'.iiekly in-
haljited but it was many years before the comforts
and Inxuries of the East found their way to those
far western liomes. Many hardships and difficul-
ties were endured, inehiding tlic arduous task of
develo|)ing a farm from the liitherto unbroken land.
]\Ir. Irisii was a man of more than ordinary ability,
and his labors in behalf of the upbtiilding of the
county should be remeinbered with gratitude by
its residents of today. lie aided not a little in its
advancement and progress and was the fouudei of
several of its early enterprises, having built the
first saw and grist mills and also erected and oper-
ated the first woolen mill in Madison County. He
was quiie eccentric also. His bank consisted of
barrels of strain stored away in his cliamber, in
which he deposited his surplus cash. He would
not loan money, preferring rather to give it away,
vet he was generous and open hearted and liis pe-
culiarities added rather a charm than a drawback
to his character. His death occurred at the age of
eighty- four yeai's while he was visiting in Texas.
His wife, who was reared a Missionar}' Baptist and
was a sincere Christian lady, died in In<lianain the
eiglity-lhird year of her age.

A family consisting of thirteen children, nine of
whom lived to be adults, were born unto this
worthy couple. Samuel, the eldest, died in Jladi-
son County, Ind.; Elizabeth, married Cromwell
Wheeler and both are now deceased; Hannah be-
came the wife of Alfred Makepeace, the marriage
cerenlon^^ the first in IMadison County, Ind., being
performed by Mr. Allen, before mentioned, who had
been a Justice of the Peace in Ohio and claimed
that his jurisdiction reached into the Territory of
Indiana. Clarissa A., the nest younger, became
the wife of .loseph (i. S. Hayward, of Ricliland
County, Wis. ; William C.died in Madison County,
Ind., at the age of twenty-eight years; C. W., is
supposed to have been killed during the War of the
Rebellion; Maria A., wedded Garrett McAllister
and l)otli died in Madison County, Ind.; James D.,
whose name heads this sketch, is the next in order
of birth; Alvira, is the wife of Capt. T. W. Rich-
mond, a soldier of the late war now residing in
Scotland, Mo.

As will be seen, James D. Irish, is the only mem-

ber of the fainil)' residing in Van Bnren County.
His bo3d)Ood da^-s were passed in Indiana amid the
wild scenes of pioneer life and in the log school-
house with its jjuncheon floor and slab seats he ac-
quired his education. An aperture made in the
logs and covered with oiled paper served to let in
the light and a huge fireplace occupied almost the
entire end of the building. While the scholars
were engaged in recitation or the preparation of
their lessons, which, by the vvay, they studied
aloud, the teacher would employ his hands in mak-
ing split brooms or ax helves, while his brain was
intent on the progress of his pupils and their con-
duct. Mr. Irish remained at home assisting his
father in the labors of the farm until twenty-four
years of age when he was mairied and sought a
home of his own. On the I8th of February, 1819,
he was joined in wedlock with IMiss Orlena J. An-
trim, who was born in Champaign County, Ohio,
August 7, 1830. Four children graced their union
— Florence A., now the widow of George II. Brick-
ley; pjlizabeth M., widow of William L. Tyson;
Alonzo W., of Oklahoma; and Samuel E., an at-
torney at law of Keosanqna.

In June, 1853, Mr. Irisli accompanied by his
family came to Van Buren County, and after a
short stay in Keosauqua, went to Millon, where he
buUt the first mill in that township. The following
year he sold out to Miller Bros., and in 1856, in
company with Judge Mayne, he erected a saw-mill
four miles below Keosauqua but the same year sold
his interest to his partner and returning to Milton,
repurchased a half interest in the mill property in
that place. Early in 1859, his wife died and he
again married, his present wife, being Cecilia Dalil-
bnrg, daughter of Peter and Ingar (Nelson) Dahl-
bnrg, who were natives of Sweden. Many enter-
prises have occupied the attention of Mr. Irish in
Van Buren Count}'. In 1861, he removed to Keo-
sauqua where he embarked in the grocery business
and in 1863 he settled upon a farm, engaging in its
cultivation for four years when he returned to the
county seat, having made a contract to carry mail
between that place and Memphis, Mo. Twelve
years he spent in that manner, when in March,
1876, he removed to his present home where he has
since resided. By his second marriage there are

19-2

PORtRAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

four ehiUiren — Curtis F., a couft reporler of Des
Moines, Iow;i; H. Walter, who is also a court re-
porler and stands at the head of his profession in
the Stale; J. Sherman, assistant bools-lveeper and
stenograplier for the Dcs Moines Buggy Conii)any;
and Charles T.,wh() is eniiiloyed as a carriage trim-
mer in I)es Moines.

Jlr. Irish is a Republican in politics and enter-
tains strong prohibition sentiments. Both he and
his wife are earnest workers in the cause of temper-
ance and Mrs. Irish is a charter member of tlie
Woraans Christian Temperance Union and was the
first President of the county organization. She is
interested in any form of temperance or social pur-
ity wori<, together with all iither branches of Chris-
tian, philanthropic and reformatory measures. In
his social relations Mr. Irish is an Odd Fellow.
During the eailj' days of his manhood he became
identified vvilli tliat orginazation as a member of
Pendleton Lodge, of Indiana, and since coining
West, lie has lield membership in Keosauqua Lodge,
No. 3, I. O. (). F. His wife has been initiated into
the Rebecca degree of that order and was honored
will, the position of N. G. Both are members of
Methodist Eiiiscopal Chureli and throughout the
city and surrounding country where they have so
long made their hfiiiie, tliey are known as upright
and honorable people, worthy of the high regard of
al! with whom they come in contact.

1^*=^-^

ROF. JOHN HENRY LANDES, County
Superintendent of Schools of A'an Buren
County, and one of the leading residents
of Keosauqua, was born in Putnam County,
Inil., on the 6th of October, 1830. His father, Ana-
nias Landes, was a native of Virginia, born in
Augusta in 1826. When a lad of twelre summers
he emigrated with his [larents to Indiana, the fam-
ily locating in Putnam County, where he grew to
manhood. His school training was in advance of
that which most boys of his day received. He ac-
quired a collegiate education and thus having fitted
himself for the duties of life he embarked upon a
uiercaiitile career in Green Castle, continuing in

that line of business with good success until 1860,
when he decided to make his home in Iowa. He
chose Davis County as the scene of his future la-
bors and there spent several years and then re-
moved to Clarke County, Iowa, where he passed
the remainder of his da^'s. In whatever eommunitj'
he resided he became a prominent citizen on ac-
count of his worth and ability. He was a man well
iilformed on all public affairs and exerted an in-
fluence in behalf of the best interests and worthy
enterprises of the county. In political sentiment,
he was first a Whig, later a Know Nothing and on
the oi'ganizatlon of the Republican |)arly joined its
ranks, continuing a faiihful adherent of its princi-
ples until his death.

In Putnam County, Ind., Ananias Landes was
united in marriage with Miss Anker Boyd, a native
of that State and a daughter of Robert Bo3'd. They
became parents of six children, the eldest of whom
is John H. ; Marg.aret A. is the wife of O. C. Mac\'
of Missouri; Albert Gary, a graduate of the Col-
lege of Physicians and Surgeons of Des Moines,
Iowa, is now engaged in the practice of his profes-
sion in Clarke County; Robert S. is living in West-
erville, Decatur County, Kan.; Augusta A. and
Emma M. complete the family. The father died
in Clarke County, Iowa, in 1878, and the mother
departed this life in 1889. The}- were Presbyterians,
lived consistent Christian lives and died in the faith
of tliat church.

John Henry Landes is a self made man who by
his own efforts has risen from a hcnible position to
one of honor. In early life lie displayed an aptitude
for learning and soon mastered tlie branches taught
ill the common schools. He desired then to further
continue his studies but his father being unable to
grant his wish, he was thus thrown upon his own
resources and working as a farm hand he obtained
the moiie}- which defrayed his expenses while a
student in the Tro}' Academy of Davis Count}-.
He then engaged in teaching and performed any
other honest labor that might replenish iiis ex-
hausted exchecqner and thereby enabled him to pur-
sue a course ill the Iowa State University. Industry
and perseverance overcame the obstacles in his
pith and accomplished that result?. In 1878, after
leaving the University, he received a call to the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

193

high school of Keosauqiia, of which he remained
principal for nine years. A sliort time convinced
the citizens of this community that he was capable
of Silling his position and would faithfully dis-
charji'e his every duty, which led to them retaining
him in the position until lie was called upon, in the
autumn of 1887, to fill a-vacancy in the office of
Count}' Superintendent of Schools. The following
autumn he was elected to that office on the Repub-
lican ticket and two years later was re-elected, still
continuing in the ofHce, tlie duties of which he dis-
charges vvith credit to himself and to the satisfac-
tion of Ills constituents.

In 1879, a marriage ceremony was performed in
Troy, Iowa, which united the destinies of Prof.
Landes and Miss Callie Cunningham. The lady is
a native of Davis County, and a daughter of
Ob'adiah and Cynthia Cunningham. Three children
have been born of their union, sons, Don Henry,
Carl C. and Gene. The Professor and his estimable
wife hold a high jiosition in the social world and
have won tlie respect of all who known them. He
is a member of Keosauqua Lodge, No. 23, 1. O. 0. F.
and in political sentiment is a Republican. Al-
though he feels an interest in political affairs, he has
never been an office seeker,believing rather that the
position should seek the man. It was thus in his
case and the wisdom of the people in their choice
has long since become evident.

4»e—

\||AMES A. BECK, jiinprietor of the Leggett
House of Fairiield, and of the Summit
House of Creston, Iowa, is a native of the
l^gj// former city. He was born on the (Jtli of
April, 1849, his parents being William G. and
Margaret (Ramsay) Beck, who were among the
pioneer settlers of Jefferson County. His father
was born in Unionlown, Fayette County, Pa., March
9, 1819. and with his parents removed to AVhecling,
W. Va., in his youth. On the 4th of March, 1847,
he married Jliss Margaret, daughter of Alexander
Ramsay of Washington County, Pa., and the bridal
tour of the young couple consisted of a trip to

Fairfield, Iowa, where they had determined to lo-
cate. In ]8ol, Mr. Beck was employed as route
agent for the Western Stage Compan5', and in 1854,
engaged in farming in .Tefferson County. After
two years s[ient in that line he sold out and removed
with his family to Owen County, Ky., but three
years later returned to Fairfield and resumed his
former occupation, which he carried on successfullj'
until May, 1889. In that year he changed his place
of residence to Montana and is now engaged in
ranching near A'irginia City, that State.

Mr. and Mrs. Beck are the parents of seven
children, four sons and three daughters: James A.,
of this sketch, is the eldest; Willie died in child-
hood; David R. married Mrs. Stedman, and resides
in Virginia City, Mont.; Mollie died at tlie .age of
fourteen; Charles, who is single, resides in Omaha:
Fannie is the wife of Alfred Welday, of Des
Moines; Richard died at the age of eleven years,
and Katie, who completes the family, was fourteen
years of age at the time of her death. Mr. Beck,
the father, is a Democrat, and stood firm in sup-
port of his part}' during the dark days of its his-
tory in Iowa. He and his wife are memliers of
the Congregational Chiircli and are liiglilv re-
spected in the community where they so long
resided.

James A. Beck was educated in the city schools
and at the Fairfield LTniversity. When seventeen
years of age he began clerking in a grocery and in
1870, when twenty one years old, began business
for himself in the same line in Fairfield as a
partner of Thomas Bell, the gentlemen carrying
on operations under the linn name of Ik'll & Beck.
That connection continued two years, after which
Mr. Beck carried on business alone until 1883.
In August of that year he leased the Leggett
House, of Fairfield, for ten years and has since
conducted it with marked success. In May, 1889,
he leased the Summit House, of Creston. Iowa,
the leading hotel of that city of ten thousand
inhabitants, of which he personally supervises the
management. The Summit House has amjile room
to accommodate one hundred guests and under
Mr. Beck's management is becoming one of the
most popular hotels in Iowa. The Leggett House,
which is the onl}' hotel of consequence in Fair-

194

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

field, be manages through James Long and the
house is a credit to both pioprietor and manager.

Mr. Beck was married in Fairfield, February 26,
1880, to Miss Etta McKesson, daugliter of Robert
McKesson. The lady was born near Xorthfiehl,
Ohio, and is a member of tlie Presbyterian Cliurcli.

In politics, Mr. Beck is a Democrat but has
never been ambitious of oflic'al preferment. With
the exception of four years, from 18.56 until 1860,
which time he spent witli liis parents in Kentuckj-,
he has always made liis home in Fairfield and
has ever been accounted one of its leading and
enterprising citizens. In addition to the hotel
business he is one of the proiirietors of the bus
line conducted under tiie business style of F. S.
Heck & Co., having been interested in the same
since 1887. INIr. Beck is widely known as a suc-
cessful and popular hotel keeper. Both the Summit
and Leggctt Houses are really without competition
in their respective towns and unlike most men
who have a monopoly in a certain line of business,
he is just as careful to give satisfaction to his
patrons and to use them fairly-, as though he was
competing fur their custom. The result is that
all are well pleased, and that the Leggett House
and the Summit House have many warm friends
among the traveling public. Mr. Beck is a genial,
courteous gentleman and those who have known
him from his boyhood, as well as his acquaintances
of later years, speak of him in highest terras.

'^^m-

JONATHAN HARRIS, a farmer residing
on section 7, Locust Grove Township, claims
an honor of which few men of his age can
boast, that of being a native of Jefferson
Countj'. He first opened his eyes to the light of
daj' in 1845, his parents being Reuben and Blary
Harris. His father is a native of Tennessee, be-
came a resident of Hancock Count>-, 111., when a
lad of some twelve summers and was there married.
The year 1843 witnessed the arrival of himself and
family' in Jefferson County, Iowa, and on section 7,
Locust Grove Township, he took up his residence,
there making his home until 1881, when he re-

moved to Batavia, where he and his wife are now
living a retired life. He assisted in organizing the
countj', identified himself with its best interests,
was prominently connected with its development
and justly merits the title of an honored citizen
and worthy iiioneer. In the family of Reuben and
Mar>- Harris were eleven children. William R.,
the eldest, is married and lives in Ottumwa, Iowa;
Miranda, now Mrs. Es|)y, is living in Seattle,
Wash.; Jason is married and resides in Locust
Grove Towushiit; Sorilda, now Mrs. Brown, is liv-
ing in Wapello County; Jonathan is the fifth in
order of birth.

He was reared to farm life and in his youtli had
a taste of develoi)ing the wild land, his father clear-
ing and iinin'oving six hundred and forty acres.
He was educated in the subscription schools, com-
mon at that day, anil remained under tlie parental
roof until he attained his majority, when he started
out in life for himself. The occupation to which he
was reared, he lias made his life work and he began
his efforts in Locust Grove Townshii). In Wap-
ello Count}' in 1866, Mr. Harris led to the mar-
riage altar Miss Paulina A. Williams, who vvas born
in \Va|ipllo County, and is a daughter of William
H. and Julia (Lumpkins) Williams. Her parents
were born, reared and married in Kentucky' and in
184.') emigrated to Wapello County, Iowa, where
upon a farm the_v made tlieir home until 1884 since
wiilch time they have been residents of Batavia,
Jefferson Count}'.

Mr. Harris has spent his entire life upon one
farm and those who have known him from child-
hood are numbered among his stancbest friends,
for they have witnessed the development of an up-
right moral cliaracter which wins the regard of all
with whom he comes in contact. His memorjgoes
back to the days when this community was but
sparsely settled, when Fairfield w.as a mei-e trading
post and the nearest markets were at Burlington
and Keokuk, when no fences impeded the progress
of one driving across the country and when travel-
ers made their journey by stage or by private con-
veyance. He has witnessed the introduction of the
railroad, the telegraph and the telephone, has
watched the growth of the county seat, has seen
many of the now thriving villages of the county

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

195

spring into existence and tlie once wild land trans-
formed into rich and fertile farms, llis farm em-
braces sixty-six and two-tbirds acres of highly
improved land, forty of which are situated on sec-
tion 7. and twenty-six and two-thirds acres on sec-
tion 18, Locust Grove Township. In his political
affiliations, Mr. Harris is a Democrat, and for the
third time has been elected Justice of the Peace.
He has also been a member of the School Board
and has ever taken an active interest in eductional
matters. Socially he is a non-aflilinted Odd Fel-
low, liaving been a member of BrookviTle Lodge
during its existence. He and liis wife hold mem-
bership witli the Christian Church of Bladensburg,
Wapello Count3'.

Ten cliildren grace tlie union of Mr. and Mrs.
Harris — Henry Harvey, a resident of Ottumwa;
Miranda, now Mrs. Jamison of Seymour, Wayne
County, Iowa; Robert, Julia, Jasper, Mary E.,
Leverett, Carroll R., Edith and Orville. The Harris
household is noted for its hospitalitj' and the mem-
bers of tlie family hold a high position in the social
world.

^ -^-^""^ ^

\¥' AMES T. HUTCHIN, one of the prominent
and successful farmers of Jeflferson County,
resides on section 2, Black Hawk Township,
and the story of his life is itS follows: He
was born in Preble County, Ohio, Ai)ril 2, 1835,
being a son of Joel G. and Rachel (Tapscott)
Hutchin. History says that the family was foun-
ded in America by John Hutchin, who, accom-
panied by his brother, left his English home and
crossed the water to America, settling in New Jer-
sey about the year 1730. William Hutchin, son
of John, was born November 11, 17.'jy. and served
in Lee's Legion in the Revolutionary War, during
which he killed a British officer at the battle of
Cowpens. His wife, whose maiden name was
Nancy De Robine, was born February 2, 1758, and
was of French descent. Her father narrowly es-
caped death during tlie Revolution. He was in a
blockhouse in Paoli when it was sacked by the
Indians and British, and was sliot in the eye and
left for dead, but afterward recovered. The chil-

dren born to William and Mary^Hutchin were:
Thomas," born March 11, 1782; Moses, February
IC, 1784; Henry W., March 22, 1786; Isa.ic,
March 13, )788; Moses, September 18, 1790;
Charles, May 20, 1793; .Toel Gibbs, May 22, 1795,
and Maria, December 1, 1797.

Joel Gibbs Hutchin, the father of our subject,
received the usual educational advantages afforded
farmers' sons at tl;at early day, and spent his boy-
hood in his native State, but on reaching manhood
he removed with his parents to Ohio, wiiere he
lived the life of an industrious farmer. On the
21st of December, 1820, he married Rachel H.
Tapscott, a daughter of James and Mary Tajjscott,
who were natives of New Jerse3', the former
born September 22, 1770, and the latter April
13, 1772. Her father was of Scottish descent,
and was a merchant of Bordentown, N. J. His
wife was a daughter of Cieisbert and Elizabeth
P. Hendriekson, who were mariied October 25,
1728. The parents of Mrs. Hendriekson were
Stoffil Longstreet and Abigail Delereaux, who were
born prior to the year 1090. Thus we see that on
the maternal side our subject traces his ancestry
back to the latter part of the seventeenth century,
and on the paternal side to the early part of the
eighteenth centur}-.

Joel G. Hutchin, the father of our subject, made
his home for some time in Butler County, Ohio,
and then removed with his family to Preble
County, where he developed a farm and spent the
greater i)art of his life. He came to Iowa in 1855
and bought four hundred acres of land in Jefferson
County, but his death occurred three years later,
at the age of sixty-three years. His wife survived
him until April 14, 1861, when her remains wci'e
laid by the si<le of her husband in Richland ceme-
tery. No family in the community was more
highly resiiected than that of Mr. Hutchin, and in
every way he and his estimable wife were worthy
of the love and confidence accorded them. They
were both meraliers of the Society of Friends, and
in the councils of the church Mr. Hutchin's opin-
ion was received witli honor and deference. He
labored for tiic interest of the cause and made his
religion a part of his daily life. Generous and
free-hearted, he was a benefactor to the poor and

196

PORTRAIT AND BIOORAFHICAL ALBUM.

needy, a friend to the oppressed, and a companion
to all in need of sj'mpathy or aid. In common
with those of his church he was a strong opposer
to the institution of human slavery, and was among
the first to espouse the cause of the Republican
party, which was formed to prevent its introduc-
tion into Northern States. Altliough he always
refused to accept public office himself, he took a
deep interest in political affairs, and was well
versed in the same. He was also a representative
business man, progressive and enterprising, and in
company with Marmaduke Green, in 1855, in-
troduced into Iowa the first Poland-Cliina hogs
brought to the State, the breed being then known
as the McGee hog.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hutchin were born a family
of six children: Isaac, who was born December 8,
1823, and is living a retired life in Colorado
Springs; Henry W.. who was born November 1,
1825, and engaged in merchandising in Fountain,
Iowa, met his death in an explosion which occurred
May 30, 1888; Ann, born February 19, 1828, is
the wife of Dr. A. H. Stevens, of Ohio, who was
one of the leading surgeons in the armj' during the
late war; Caroline, born June 17, 1830, in Coffee
County, Kan., married Peter S. Patton, one of the
early pioneers of Jefferson County; Mary T., born
April 25, 1833, is the wife of Amos H. Terrill, of
Colorado Springs.

James T. Hulchin, whose name heads this sketch,
completes the family. He spent his early life in
the State of his nativity, and received a good Eng-
lish education in the common schools, which was
supplemented by three terms attendance at Earl-
ham College, of Richmond, Ind. His summers
were spent at hard labor on the farm, but such
trials are often the means of bringing out the ma-
terials in a person's character, and so it proved
with Mr. Hutchin, for in his youth he developed a
spirit of self-reliance and zeal which have been im-
portant factors in his success in after life. At the
age of twenty years he accompanied his parents to
Jefferson County, and remained under the parental
roof until twenty-two years of age, when on the
17th of September, 1857, he wedded Miss Miiry
Hadley and removed to a farm given him by his
father. It was an eight\'-acie tract, ten acres of

which had been broken and upon which a small
house had been liuilt. He fenced and improved
the land, and made his home thereon until 1869,
when he purciiascd one hundred and fift3'-one
acres, on section 2, Black Hawk Township — his
present home. Twentj^-one j^ears have since passed,
and in that time a wonderful transformation has
been wrought. Fertile fields now yield abundant
harvests as the reward for his labors; he has a
comfortable residence, good buildings, and every-
thing bespeaks care and attention. Just and fair
in ail his dealings, he has won the confidence of all
with whom he has come in contact, and b3' the ex-
ercise of correct business principles, combined with
zealous labor, he has acquired a handsome compe-
tence.

Mrs. Hutchin was a daughter of Joshua Hadley,
who was born in North Carolina in 1816, is one
of the pioneers of Keokuk County, Iowa, and a land
owner of Jefferson County. He came to Jefferson
County in 1841, at which time he purchased land.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hutchin have been born six chil-
dren, but only one of the number is now living.
Emily Luella, born November 3, 1858, died on the
8th of January, 1860; Ernest Leon, born Novem-
ber 22, 1860, died March 12, 1883; be had been
provided with excellent educational advantages,
and possessed extraordinary oratorical power; liis
character was such as to win him the respect of all
with whom became in contact, and the entire com-
munity assembled to pay the last tribute of love
and esteem for tiie dead. Anna Susan, born March
16, 1861, died March 7, 1883; Lydia Eva, born
December 2, 1866, died March 21, 1868; Joel Al-
fred, born August 10, 1870, was a student of Uie
Pleasant Plain Academy, and is a 3'oung man of
much promise; Corilla, the youngest, born Septem-
ber 3, 1878, died January 12, 1880.

Mr. Hutchin and his wife are members of tlie
Society of Friends, although he leans toward the
Unitarian doctrine. He gives liberally for tiie sup-
port of the work, however, and is always reac'^' to do
his part in any enterprise calculated to benefit the
community. He is a man well informed on all gen-
eral topics, is a great reader and an entertaining
conversationalist, bqing able to express his ideas
fluently and well. When he takes his stand for or

■ ■• NEW YORK

|J *STOR. LENOX

ROBERT SLOAN.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

HI!)

against any measure he can always give an excel-
lent reason for so doing, anrl when he believes
himself to be in the right nothing can swerve him
from his determination to pursue that course. In
his earlier 3'ears he supported the Republican party,
casting his first vote for Fremont, but when Grant
and Greeley were opposing candidates he cast his
ballot for the Latter. His ideas on the tariff ques-
tion being out of harmony with the Republican
party, he then connecte<l himself with the Demo-
cratic party, but has independence enough to vote
for the men who represent the best interests of the
country without regard to party associations. Mr.
Ilutchin ran on the Democratic ticket for County
Supervisor. As is well known, Jefferson County is
strongly Republican, yet his popularity is plainly
shown by the fact that he carried his own townsliip
by the largest majority ever given when there was
any opposition. He has been Township Clerk, and
has served two terms as Assessor, but is no wise an
office-seeker. No one stands higher in the esteem
of their fellow-men than Mr. Ilutchin, and it is with
pleasure we record his sketch in this volume.

>>^>^^^i^t^^^r^^^^^^

^UDGE ROBERT SLOAN. Few counties,
if any, in Iowa can boast of a larger list
of talented men than Van Buren. Her sons,
^liii natural and adopted, have distinguished
themselves in every avocation of life, and espe-
cially in the learneil professions. Among those
she delights to honor is the well-kuown jurist and
attorney, Robert Sloan. Descended from Scotch-
Irish ancestry, he has inherited ths mental ami
moral qualities peculiar to that people. His pater-
nal great-grandfather served as a Lieutenant under
Gen. Braldock in the French and Indian War, but
when the Colonies declared their independence he
espoused the cause of liberty 'and rose to the rank of
Captain. Robert Sloan, Sr., the father of Judge
Sloan, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, and
wlien seven years of age came to the United
Slates with his parents, who settled near Phila-
delphia, Pa. On reaching mature years, he wedded

Miss Elizabeth Steaiileton, with whom he moved to
Columbiana County, Ohio, where he engaged in
farming. The spring of 1853 witnessed the re-
moval of the family to Davis Countj% Iowa.

Judge Sloan was born October 21, 1835, and
was, therefore, nearly eighteen years of age at the
time of his removal to this Stale. His scholastic
training was confined to the common school and
a year's course in the New Lisbon High School.
Such was his diligence in the pursuit of knowledge
that, with these meagre advantages, he qualified
himself for the profession of teaching, which he
followed after coming to Iowa until 1860, with
the exception of about two }'ears spent in mercan-
tile life in lowaville. In the above-mentioned year
he began to read law under Judge George G.
Wright, then of Keosauqua, and was admitted to
the bar in March following. The young attorney
soon took a front rank among his professional
brethren, and his reputation as a judge of law be-
came established. At the general election of 18C8
he was chosen Judge for the First Circuit of the
Second Judicial District. F(^ur years later he was
elected Circuit Judge of the Second Judicial Dis-
trict, and re-elected in 1876. Thus it will be seen
that Judge Sloan has filled a jiulicial chair for twelve
consecutive years, and this is the highest possible
compliment to his ability and popularity. After
leaving the bench he became a member of the
law firm of Sloan, Work & Brown, and has since
devolcd himself assiduously to the practice of his
profession.

(Jn the 15th of July, 18G3. Judge Sloan wedded
Miss Mary Brown, a native of County Westmeath,
Ireland, born January 11, 1838. Her i)arents, Will-
iam and Eliza (Alexander) Brown, were both na-
tives of .Scotland, but in early life emigrated to Ire-
land, where the mother died when ^Irs. Sloan was
a child of three summers. In 1847 Mr. Brown
came to the United States and soon afterward lo-
cated on a farm in Van Buren Count3% where he
passed his remaining days, dying Noveml)er 12,
1854. Mr. and Mrs. Sloan are the parents of seven
children — Stella B., born November 26, 1864;
Hugh B., September 1, 1866; Tede, September 13,
I86S; Mary E.. October 21, 1870; Delia, born
July 17, 1873, died November 2i), 1878; lo. G.,

200

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

born July 14, 1876; and Robert E., February 4,
1878.

Mr. and Mrs. Sloan are members of the Conojre-
gational Cliurch. Politically, he has been a Re-
publican since the organization of the party. For
nearly thirty 3'ears lie has been a member of the
Keosauqua bar and tlie place he there occupies is
second to none. Before a jury he is a forcible ad-
vocate, not so much on account of "honeyed elo-
quence" as the weiglit of character he brings to
bear. Above the petty tricks of the profession, he
is candid, dignified and earnest. But it is as a
counselor and judge of law that he is best known
and most highly appreciated.

#>^

-v^

\Y/OHN C. THORNE, a leading dry-goods
merchant of Fairfield, has been engaged in
his present line of business in that citj- since
1880, but for thirty years he has been a
resident of the Hawkeye State. However, he
claims Pennsylvania as the State of his nativity,
his birth having occurred in Butler County, August
26, 18.51. His })arents vvere Robert and Elizabeth S.
(Calhoun) Thorne. When he was a lad of six years
his father died. and two years later he came to Iowa
to make his home with his maternal grandfather
who was then living in the northeastern part of
A'an Buren County. His boyhood days were spent
in the usual manner of farmer lads, and when not
employed in labors connected with the farm he at-
tended the iniblic schools where he received a good
English education. This was supplemented b}' at-
tendance at the academy of Birmingham, and after-
ward he pursued a course in the Commercial Col-
lege of Keokuk. In 1870. Jlr. Thorne made his
way to Tennessee and for a time engaged in clerk-
ing in Manchester. There he gained a fair knowl-
edge of business principles and in 1874 returned to
Fairfield, where he was employed for one j'ear as
dry goods clerk in the house of Mr. Risk. He then
secured a like position with J. E. Rotli, with whom
he remained five years, when in the spring of 1880,
he embarked in business for himself. In the ten

years which have since elapsed he has found ample
reward for tlie efforts he has put forth and is now
doing a large business which is annuall}- increasing.
In 1880, he started in business in company with E.
M. Gage, under the firm name of Thoine & Gage.
This connection continued for three years when
Mr. Thorne bouglit his partner's interest, and since
that time he has continued the business alone.
During his service as salesman the public had found
that it would receive courteous treatment, prompt
attention and fair' dealing from JMr. Tliorue, and
was glad of an opportunity to show its appreciation
of his faithfulness which it does by a liberal pat-
ronage.

On the 12th of April, 1877, Mr. Thorne led to
the marriage altar Miss Rose Pitkin, daughter of
E. Pitkin, now of Fayetteville, Ark. The lady is
a native of Van Buren County, Iowa, and unto
them has been born one child, Harry Pitkin, born
March 18, 1879. The parents attend the Presby-
terian Church and in political sentiment Mr.
Thorne is a Republican. He is one of the enter-
prising and wide-awake merchants of Fairfield,
popular with the public and highly esteemed
throughout the count}'.

■€-*^-

y^ILSON T. ABRAHAM, who devotes his time
and attention to farming and stock-raising
\>^^ on section 12, Locust Grove Township, is
a representative of one of the pioneer families of
Jefferson County. He was born on the farm which
is still his home and which has witnessed his boy-
hood efforts and business enterprises of his maturer
years. His father, Charles Abraham, was a native
of Ohio, and his mother, whose maiden name was
Elizabeth Howell, was born in Indiana. They were
married in the latter State and came to Jefferson
County in 1842. A farm was developed and im-
proved by the husband, who b}' bis industry and
perseverance made a good home for his family and
secured a comfortable competence. He died in
1877, respected by all who knew him, and his wife,
a most estimable lady, passed away in 1882.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

201

The old time sebools of that, earlj* day afforded our
subject the educational privileges he received. The
years of his boyhood and youth were devoted to
farm work and on attaining to mature years he began
life for himself, embarking in tlie pursuit to which
he was reared. Throughout his entire life he was
engaged in farming and stock-raising, and his
labors have been confined to the operation of the
old homestead. He chose as a helpmate and com-
panion on life's journey Miss Laura Hutton, their
union being celebrated in December, 1878, in .Jef-
ferson County (the birthplace of Mrs. Abraham).
Her parents, Levi and Nancy (Ilolsiiiger) Hutton.
were natives of Indiana an<l Pennsylvania respect-
tively, and came to Iowa in an earlj' day, settling
in Liberty- Township, Jefferson Count}-. Both are
now de<!eased, having been called to their final rest
some j'ears ago, Mr. Hutton dying in 1860 and
Mrs. Hutton in 18G7.

Mr. Abraham aided in developing the homestead
farm and is now the owner of eighty-five acres of
it, and in connection with its cultivation, raises
some stock of good grades. lie keeps himself well
informed on all subjects of the day and casts his
ballot with the Democratic party, but has never
sought or desired public oflice. He was, however,
induced to fill the position of Township Trustee,
and was elected J^upervisor but did not consent to
serve. The cause of education claims him as a
frieutl and the moral and social interests of the
community rank him among their supporters. He
discourages all uuwortliy interests, giving his sup-
port to those which will benefit the community and
promote the general welfare.

^1^

I' '"

' OHN L. BROWN, a veteran of the late war
and an early settler of Van Buren County,
Iowa, now residing in Fairfield, Jefferson
Cuuntv, was born in the town of Yellowbud,
Ross County, Ohio. February 1, 1838, and is a son
of G. Washington and Mary (Long) Brown. His
father, the youngest of eleven children, was born in
Huntingdon, Pa., in the year 1811, and was of

Scotch and German descent. He caine to Iowa with
his family in 1846, settled in Van Buren County,
and is now a rasident of Keosauqua. The mother
was born in Highland County, Ohio, in 1809, and
was <lescended from English ancest>y.

Our subject was a lad of eight years when he
accompanied Iiis parents to Iowa, reaching Keosau-
qua at Christmas time. The family settled on a
farm in Vernon Township, Van Buren County,
where he was reared to manhood, receiving his edu-
cation in the public schools. Responding to his
country's call for troops he enlisted for the late
war on the 1st of August, 1861, ,as a member of
Company G, Third Iowa Cavalry, was promoted
from Third Corporal to First Sergeant and, in June,
1864, was comiuissioned First Lieutenant in the
Freedmen's Bureau Service and assumed staff duty,
serving until that tlepartraent was closed out in
1866. Lieut. Brown took part in man}' important
engagements, including the battles of Tupelo,
Guntown, Selma, Columbia, Little Rock, Hartsville,
Grierson's raid, Moore's Mill and in skirmishes too
numerous to mention. He was in command of the
provost guard at Mem[)his at tlic time of Forrest's
celebrated raid on that city. Toward the close of his
service he received an injury in the left hip which
at first took the form of a tumor and at times
caused him much pain, unfitting him for dut\'.
After his return from the war his ailment increased
and eventually resuUed in an abcess which affected
first the left leg and then the right until their use-
fulness, as a means of locomotion, was virtually
destroyed. Mr. Brown has now been a sufferer
for nearly twenty-five years, and from the rugged
man of six feet, three inches in height, weighing
two hundred and thirty pounds, he is reduced to
one hundred and fifty-six pounds in weight and is
perceptably lessened in stature. However, not-
witlistanding his physical afflictions he is cheerful
and makes the best of his misfortune.

On the 25tli of February, 1864, in Fairfield, Mr.
Brown was united in marriage with Miss Martha
Bell, daughter of Asahel Brown, an early pioneer
of Jefferson County, whose sketch appears else-
where in this work. Mrs. Brown was born in
Huntingdon, Pa., and came to Fairfield, Iowa, with
her parents in July, 1844. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown

202

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

lias been born one child, a daughter, Lulu Z., who
is now the wife of George Colbnrn, of Des Moines.
Mis. Brown and her daugli'.er aie members of the
B:\|)tist Ciiurch. Mr. Brown is a Republican in
politics and a meml)er of George Strong Post, No.
19, G. A. R. His father was also a soldier of the
late war, joining the regiment known as the Iowa
Gra3'beards, in 18P3 and, after nine months serv-
ice, was discharged on account of ph3-sical dis-
a-iiility. Onr subject continued to reside in Van
Buren County until 1871, when lie removed to
Fairfield where he has since resided. He has made
many warm friends throughout the communitj-
and is held in high esteem by all who know him.

rOHN ALEXANDER RAINES, of Fairfield,
was born in Scott County, Ky., near Lexing-
ton, on the 9th of November, 1835, and is a
(|®// son of AVallerand Lavina R. (Lloj'd) Raines.
His father was a native of Virginia, born in Orange
County, and was descended from English ancestry.
The family was founded in Ainerii'a during the old
Colonial days, and was represented from both siiles
iu the war of the Revolution. Mr. Raines' father
emigrated to Kentuck}' in 1810. making the jour-
ney on foot in company with his friend, Anthony
Hughes. He enlisted in the War of 1812, and at
its close returned to his home in Kentucky, where
he was engager] in farming. His wife, the mother
of our subject, was born in Loudoun Countj', Va.,
and was of Welsh and German descent. Possessed
of most excellent judgment and earnest piety, and
practical in her methods, she trained her familjf,
numbering six sons and three daughters, with a
view to making them useful and respected mem-
bers (if society. Her death occurred in 1858. Af-
ter the deatli of Mrs. Raines, Mr. Raines lived with
his family in Kentucky until about the time of the
breaking out of the late war, when he came to
Marshall County, III., where he remained two years,
after wliich he went to Greenfield, Ind., with his
son. Rowan W., with whom he made his home un-
til his death, which occurred about 1869, when he

had passed his eighty-sixth year. He was a man
of powerful phj'sique, and possessed great endur-
ance and fortitude. He was never sick, but death
resulted from old age.

John A. Raines is the youngest member of the
family of nine, of whom seven are now living. All
were reared to habits of industry and frugality, and
their after liyes show the wisdom of their training.
Their parents had no use for drones, and never per-
mitted that condition to exist which is said to be
favoral)le to wickedness.

Our subject received such education as he could
obtain in his day and place of resi<lenCe. Having
a taste for mechanical pursuits, he learned the
wagon-maker's trade, and in 1855 went to Wood-
ford County, 111., where he followed his chosen oc-
cupation, and also acquired a knowledge of carpen-
tering. Two 3'ears later, iu that county, he was
united in marriage with Miss Maria, daughter of
George W. and Martha (Adams) Bocock. The
lady was born in Fulton County, III., near Canton,
and their union was blessed with three children, one
son and two daughters: Effie F., who is now the
wife of Robert J. Raines, a distant cousin and resi-
dent of Fairfield Township, Jefferson County; Os-
car Y., who died at the age of twenty-one years;
and Maria J., who died in infancy. The mother
was called to her final rest September 22, 1862.

In early manhood, Mr. Raines became a zealous
member of the Christian Church, and in 1858 be-
gan preaching the gospel. He possesses a good
command of language, and a gift of oratorj- coup-
led with a fervent zeal in the cause of Christian-
itj', that has made him an interesting and popular
preacher. While in Illinois, he was variously em-
ployed. For several years he was a merchant's
clerk in Lacon, and served as Police Magistrate
and Justice of the Peace. In the political cam-
paign of 1860, when Lincoln was elected to the
Presidenc}', he took an active part in Republican
politics, and has since voted and labored for the
interests of the party.

On the Sth of October, 1863, Mr. Raines was
again married, his second union being with Miss
Martha J. Bocock, a sister of his former wife, and
a native of Fulton County. 111. Three children,
daughters, were born of the second marriage — Lu-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

203

tliia Alice, Martha Olga, anri Nora Juiiia. The
two elder have just gradnater] from the Fairfield
nigh-school.

Rlr. Raines has served as Pastor of the Ciirislian
Church of Belle Plaine, Bath, Chandlervilie, and
Washington, 111., and at intervals between his pas-
toral rhities has engaged in mechanical work. In
1873, he came to Iowa, locating in Osage. Mitchell
County, where he was local pastor. In 1878, he
became interested in the insurance business, and
has (toniinued in that lino over since, doing more
or less work all the time in the line of the minis-
try'. During the twelve j'ears in which he has de-
voted his time to the insurance business, he has
been connected with only tiiree companies, and al-
ways as general agent. For the past two years
he has been general agent for the German Fire In-
surance Company of Peoria, 111. He came to Fair-
field, on the 22(1 of .January, 1878, and for sis
months occupied the pulpit of the Christian Church
of the city, since which time he has served as one
of its elders. He has done a great deal of minis-
terial work as supply preacher, and has been an in-
defatigable laborer in all matters pertaining to
church or Sunday-school work. Mr. Raines is
blessed with a noble wife and intelligent and inter-
esting children, all of wiiom are devoted to the
cause of Christianitv.

EJiiifi '::, liiiS:

AMES S. BECK, who is now living a retired
life in F'airficld, has spent forty -seven years
in Iowa, and with the exception of three
years of that period has been a merchant of
Jefferson County. He was liorn in Fayette County,
Pa., in 1821, and is a son of James and Sarah
(Evans) Reck. On the paternal side he is of Irish
descent, his father having emigrated to America
from the North of Irelan(l. His mother however,
was born in Lancaster County, Pa. During the
early childhood of onrsubjtct, the parents removed
with their family to Wheeling, \ti., where the fa-
ther died about 1830.

In Wheeling our subject was reared to manhood,

and at the age of nineteen years vvent to Kentucky,
whence he afterward made his w.ay to Delavan, 111.
Later we find liim in Springfield, 111., and in the
autumn of 1844, he came to Keokuk, Iowa, and in
1848 joined the Des Moines River exiiedition.
For a time he eng.agcd in farming in Lee Cdunty,
and in 1846 he came to Fairfield.

Thus far since attaining to mature years. Mr. Beck
had traveled the journey of life alone, but on the
1st of March, 1849, he was united in marri.age with
Miss Narcissa Junken, who was born in Wheeling,
Va., and with her parents, whose sketch is given on
another page of this volume, came to Fairfield in
1841. Their union was blessed with one daughter,
Lucy II., who is now the wife of John H. Atkin-
son, of Webster City, Iowa.

In political sentiment, Mr. Beck is a Democrat,
and by that party was twice elected Sheriff of Jef-
ferson County, holding the odice four years, from
18G7 until 1S71. The opposing party iiad a major-
ity of six or seven hundred, but his personal popu-
larity combined with his ability, won for him the
office, and it is needless to say the duties were faith-
fully performed. In his business enterprises, Mr.
Beck has been quite successful. For about ten
years he was engaged in merchandising i[i Fairfield,
eigiit \'ears of which time he carried on operations
as a partner of J. J. Gibson, under the firm name
of Gibson & Beck. At length having acquired an
ample competency to enable him to spend his de-
clining years in rest from the arduous cares and
duties of business life, he disposed of bis interest in
the store, and is now living in retirement. Socially,
he is a member of the Masonic fraternity. His
wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Not the least interesting period in the life of Mr.
Bock has been his pioneer experience. He is one
of the honored earl}' settlers of Jefferson County,
shared in the hardships and trials incident to life
on the frontier, and was also a partaker of its pleas-
ures, many of which are unknown at this day. He
helped to build the first house in Omaha in 1853,
ran a ferry at that place, and in 1857 sold goods
in Council Bluffs. The years 1859 and 1860, ho
spent at Pike's Peak, Colo. In his journeyings, his
genial manner and gentlemanly deportment, his
courteous treatment of all, won him many friends,

204

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

and the same cliaracteristics displayed throughout
his residence in Jefferson County have made liim
one of her best known and most highly respected
citizens. Years may come and go, but James S.
Beck will be long remembered by those who had
the pleasure of his acquaintance.

E^

/SAHEL HERRINGTON BROWN, de-
ceased, is numbered among the honored
pioneers of Jefferson County, where he lo-
cated in August, 1844. He was born in Hunting-
don County, Pa., April 21, 1795, and was a son of
Daniel Brown. In his native State he was reared to
manhood and later was employed on the State works
and also engaged in farming. On tlie 1 1th of Feb-
ruary, 1819, in the county of his nativity, he wed-
ded Miss Isabella Steele, who was born in
Huntingdon County, Pa., July 15, 1797, and was
the daughter of Samuel Steele. Their union was
blessed with ten children as follows: Nancy E.,
who is now the wife of Thomas E. Brinkley, of
Muscatine, Iowa; Isaac II., who married Miss Ellen
Fee and is living in Nebraska; Martha J., who died
in girlhood; Ellen A., who became the wife of Dr.
W. B. Ogden and died in December, 1865; James,
who died in childiiood; Sarah Jane, who wedded
Thomas A. Parkinson and died July 15, 1869;
Temperance, wife of William A. Van Dorn, died
February 15, 1880; ^Villiam Steele, died September
16, 1846; M. Isabel is the wife of J. L. Brown, of
Fairfield, Iowa, and Dan W. married Emma Pass-
more and is living in Chicago.

As before stated, the residence of Mr. Brown in
Jefferson Count3' dates back to August. 1844, when,
accompanied by his family, he left his Eastern
home and emigrated to Iowa, locating in Fairfield
City on a lot now owned by his daughter, Mrs. J.
L. Brown. He was ever regarded as one of the
representative and enterprising citizens of the com-
munity and the part which he bore in public affairs,
the enterprise and industry which was displayed
for the advancement of the county's best inter-
ests, is well worthy of mention in this volume.

During the Territorial daj-s of Iowa he held the of-
fice of Collector, and for several years served as
Postmaster of Fairfield and was also Justice of the
Pe.ace for some time. He made wagon-making his
business and did a flourishing trade in that line,
continuing operations until almost the close of his
life. He was a large man and his death resulted from
a severe fall on an icy walk. The accident oc-
curred on the 5th of February, 1884, and he passed
away on the 30th of March following, at the age of
nearly eighty-nine years. His wife, whose death
occurred some years previous, passed away Novem-
ber 23, 1871, in the seventy-fifth year of her age.

Mr. Brown was a man of more than average
ability in many respects. He retained both his
mental and physical faculties almost unimpaired,
and for seven years prior to his death had not even
used glasses, yet would read for hours at a time.
He was remarkably well informed on all topics of
general interest and was also a great Bible student.
All church work found in him a hearty sympa-
thizer and from the time of its organization until
his death he filled the office of Deacon in the Bap-
tist Church, in which his wife was also an active
member. In his earlier years he was a member of
the Sons of Temi)erance and, throughout liis entire
life, w.as an inflexible opponent of the liquor traf-
fic. The Whig party, and afterwards the Abolition
party, received his support in early da^'S, but on
llie organization of the Rei)ublican party he joined
its ranks. Mr. Brown was devoted to his family
and friends and was ever faithful to any trust re-
posed in him. His kindly acts, his generous dis-
position and his charity fol' all, n^on him hosts of
friends and his earnest Christian life might well be
taken as an exam [tie by others.

^^

i

ENRY PICKARD, one of the [irorainent
young farmers and representative citizens
of Jefferson County, was born and reared
in Penn Township, where he yet makes his
home. His fine farm comprising one hundred and
forty acres of arable land is situated on section 9,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICALALBUM.

205

and has all the iniprovcniL'nts and accessories of a
nineteenth century country iiome. We have no
record of the origin of the family, but his pati'rnal
grandparents, Henry and Eleanor Pickard. were
natives of North Carolina, in which State their
marriage was celebrated. Tliey became residents
of Iowa in 184 4, locating in Lee County where
their last days were spent.

William Pickard, their son, and father of our
subject, was born in Bartholemew County, Itid., in
1817, and was reared in the usual manner of farmer
lads in that day. his educational advantages being-
limited to a few terms attendance at the district
school of the neighborhood during the winter sea-
son. Witli the desire to make for himself a home
and gain for himself a comfortable competence, he
came to Iowa in 1 83',) and made a location on sec-
tion 2, Penn Township. Jefferson County, which
continued to be his home until his life on earth was
ended. His cash capital on his .arrival consisted of
the muniticent sum of ¥3 and his possessions were
a light wagon and team, but indolence and iilleness
were utterly foreign to his nature and, as the re-
sult of unceasing activitj-, industry, economy and
good management, he acquired a handsome prop-
erty and became one of the substantial citizens
of the communit3-. He was widely and favor-
abl3' known and any good work or enterprise was
sure of his sanction and support. On the 1st of
June, 1842, he wedded Mary J. Bell, who was born
in Chillicothe, Ohio, Feb'uary 3. 1818, and is the
daughter of Alexander and Rebecca Bell, who re-
moved with their family to Iowa in 1839. For
some years they were residents of Penn Township,
but were living in Orundy CountJ^ Mo., at the
lime of their deaths. Mr. Bell served under Jack-
son during the War of 1812. He was a f.armer by
occupation and was a member of the Society of
Friends.

The Pickard family were also believers in the
doctrines of that society and the marriage of the
parents of our svibject was performed in the
Friends' Church in accordance with their rites.
Shortly after tlieir wedding was celebrated the}' re-
turned to Indiana, but after eighteen months again
came to Iowa and, purchasing land, began life in
earnest in this then far Western Territory. The

death of Mr. Pickard occurred on the 16tli of Sep-
tember, 1886, caused by being tlrown from a
horse. However, lie lived to see his children all
married and settled aiound him in comfortable
homes. His wife, who is a most estimable lady, still
survives him and is living with her son Henry.
Like her husband, she has been a life-long member
of the Friends Society. He was one of the most
active workers in tliat church; serve<l as Trustee foi'
a quarter of a century and did eveiylhing in his
power towai'd the advancement of its interests. The
cause of education also found in him a friend and
he was one of the founders of the Pleasant Plain
Academy, of which he served as director for many
years. He also filled a number of township otlices,
but never sought jMjlitical preferment as he always
found his time was well taken up with his business
and church work. He first cast his Ijallot with the
Whig part}', then became a Freesoiler and. on the
organization of the Repulilican party, joined its
ranks. He was a successful business man and one
of the most highly respected citizens of Jefferson
County. Like her husband, Mrs. Pickard has lived
a truly consistent Christian life and made for her-
self many warm friends. The farail}- of this worthy
couple numbtrs the following children: Eleanor,
wife of I. J. G-ieen, of Freeport, Ohio; Rebecca,
wife of E^li Jones, of Pleasant Plain; Ruth, wife of
Sanfonl Bray, of Blackhawk Township; Alexander
married Miss F. R. Groves, and is engaged in farm-
ing in Penn Townshi|); Henry, whose name heads
this sketch, is the next younger; Martha is the wife
of William Jones; Aaron wedded Sina E. Gatlin,
and is a farmer of Penn Township; James B., who
married Ada May Clarridge, lives on the old home-
stead .

In recording the sketch of Henry Pickard, we
present to our readers the life of a citizen of Penn
Township whom many feel a deep interest in, for he
was reared in their midst and his friends in the
community are many. He was born on the Pickard
homestead, August 1,1853, and the days of his
boyhood and youth were spent in assisting his
father in the labors of the farm and acquiring his
education, which he obtained in the public schools
and the Pleasant Plain Academy. On the 20th of
December, 1877, he left the parental roof and was

206

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

united in marriage with Miss Hattie E. Brown, a
native of Jefferson County. His fatlier tlien gave
him a farm and he settled down near the oM home,
beginning life in earnest. In 1884 he piircliased
his present home, where he has engaged in culti-
vating one hundred and forty acres of rich land
and in feeding stock. He owns a. flne imported
Norman horse, and for the care of his stock lias
erected good barns and outbuildings. His home
is a pleasant residence surrounded by noble shade
trees and it has been blessed by two bright bovs —
Hugh, born October 19, 1879 ; and Leonard W.,
born July 28, 1888.

Since casting his first Presidential vote for Gen.
Grant, Mr. Pickard has never swerved in his alle-
giance to the Republican party, but feels an active
interest in its success and lends his support and in-
fluence for its advancement. He is always amember
of the county conventions, has also be(m a candi-
date to the State Republican conventions and was
twice in the judicial conventions. He held the of-
fice of Township Trustee for six consecutive years,
at the end of which time he refused a renoiniua-
tion. His efficiency and ability are clearly indi-
cated by his long service. Social!}', he is a mem-
ber of the Odd Fellows lodge of Pleasant Plain
and his wife holds membership in the Presbyterian
Church of that village. Those who know these
worthy young people hold them in the highest es-
teem and their lives have been such as to merit
the sincere regard of the communit3^

VILLIAM T. HARRIS, M.D., one of the
leading medical practitioners of Keosau-
qua, Iowa, was born in Stanford, Lincoln
County, Ky., on the ISlh of September, 1811, and
is the son of the Rev. Ralph and Mary (Wilson)
Harris. His father, a native of Virginia, was born
in 1812, and acquired his education in the Center
College, of Danville, Ky. In bis youth he deter-
mined to devote his life to the ministry, and fol-
lowed that profession for a number of years, but
in 1849, after his emigration to the West, he turned

his attention to other pursuits, yet has ever mani-
fested a deep interest in religions work and aided
not a little in the advancement of the cause in the
community where he . makes his home. He was
raairied on the 31st of May, 1837, to Miss Wilson,
whose birth ociurred in 1818. As before stated,
he removed to the West in 1819, locating in Ma-
comb, 111., and shortly afterward commenced read-
ing medicine, which study he supplemented by a
course in Ilalineniann College, in Chicago. After
his graduation from that school, he entered upon
the practice of the medical profession, which he
still continues, but being now an old man he has
to some extent laid aside its more arduous duties.
Both he and his wife are still living and make their
home in ^Nlacomb. where they are highly respected
[leople. At the time of the Rebellion, Dr. Harris
wiis appointed Chaplain of the Eighty-fourth Illi-
nois Infantry and served about one year. He has
been prominently connected with church work,
being a Presbyterian in faith, and was the first
President of the McDonough Presb^-lerian College.

Our subject passed his boyhocd days in a man-
ner usual to lads similarly circumstanced. He ac-
quired his literary education in the McDonough
College, and then, having determined to follow the
same pursuit in which his father was engaged, he
began reading medicine. In the winter of 18(56-
67 he attended lectures at the Keokuk Medical
College, and during the following spring com-
menced practice in Blandinsville, III. He also at-
tended lectures at the Ilanhnemann Medical Col-
lege of Chicago, but was graduated from the
Missouri Medical College, located in St. Louis.

Dr. Harris displayed his loyalty to the Govern-
ment during the late war by faithful service in the
field. In June, 1861, he became a member of the
Seventh Regiment, Missouri State Militia, serving
until March, 1862, and in June, 1862, he enlisted
in the Eighty-fourth Infantry. He was mustered
in at Quincy as a private of Company C, and with
his command ))articipated in the battles of Perry-
ville. Wild Cat Mountain and Stone River. Dur-
ing the latter engagement he was severely wounded,
a ball passing through his face and tearing away a
part of his tongue and jaw bone, so that for almost
a year he was ileprived of speech. Being thus

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

207

disabled for duty, he was discharged on the S3d

of February, 18(i3, hut when ngain able to enter
Ihe service he rejoined his old comrades and was
commissioned First Lieutenant of his company.
Ho served as one of the liody guard of Gen. Rosen-
crans, and at the close of the war was honorably
discharged.

Not long after his return home, in 18G7, Dr.
Harris was united in marriage witli Miss Lottie
Herrick, daughter of Amos and Phoebe Herriek,
the former a native of Massaciiusetts and the latter
of New P.runswick. They settled in Adams
County, 11!., in 1836, and arc numbered among the
pioneers of that community. Unto the Doctor
and his wife were boiTi two children, but Ralph
Flint, the elder, died at the age of four years. The
daughter is Lenna Pearl. This family have been
residents of Keosauqua for the past six years.
Previously they had resided in Fairmount, Mo.,
where for fifteen years the Doctor had engaged in
tlie practice of his profession with marked success.
Although his residence in Van Buren County is of
short (liiratiiiii, his worth and ability have secured
recognition by a liberal patronage, and among the
better class of the county's citizens he has won
high regard and confidence. He is now a mem-
ber of the United .States Pension Medical Examin-
ing Board.

^OHN SIMMONS, residing on .■r-eotion 3.5, Lo-
cust (irove Township, is a representative
farmer and stock-raiser of Jefferson County
and one of the |)ioneers of 1844. He was
born in Maryland in 1828, and is a son of Joel
and Catherine (Nuisbaum) Simmons, who were
also natives of Maryland, the former of English
and the latter of German descent. Both his pater-
nal and maternal grandfathers were born in a for-
eign country ,and for their transportation to America
worked for seven years. Joel Simmons emigrated
from his native State to Pennsylvania in an early
day, where he carried on farming although he was

a millwright by trade. He lived to the advanced
age of ninet}' years, and spent his last days in the
Keystone State. His wife died at about the age of
sixty years. Their son, whose name heads this
sketch, was educated in the schools of Pennsyl-
vania, and on attaining to mature 3-ears, in 1853,
was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with
Miss Mary Good. The lady of his choice was also
a native of the Keystone State, as were her parents,
Samuel and Nancy (Roberts) Good. They became
residents of Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1846, set-
tling in Des Moines Township, wliere Mr. Good
carried on farming until 1830, when, attracted by
the discovery of gold on the Pacific Coast, he
made an overland trip to California. Twenty-two
years he spent in that State, returning to Jeffer-
son County in 1872. His death occurred in Gage
County, Neb., in 1887. His wife, who was a most
estimable lady, died in 1852, during their residence
in this county. The maternal grandparents of Mrs.
Simmons, Levi and Elizabeth Roberts, are also
numbered among the pioneer settlers of Jefferson
County, where the^' located in 1846. Tliey after-
ward returned to Pennsylvania, however, where
both long since passed away. Her great-grand-
father was a Revolutionary soldier.

Mr. and Mrs. Simmons entered upon life's jour-
ney together in Pennsylvania, where he followed
farming for some years. As before stated, be ar-
rived in Iowa in the spring of 1844, and, with the
hope of making a comfortable home fin- himself
and family, he entered forty acres of land, which
he improved. Afterward, however, he disposed
of that property and purchased eighty acres of tim-
ber land, which, when under a high state of culti-
vation he increased until there is now within the
boundaries of his farm one hundred and fourteen
acres of well-cultivated soil. He keeps on hand a
good grade of stock, the latest improved machinery
and his barns and outbuildings are all that are nec-
essary to a model farm of the nineteenth 'century.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Simmons were born thirteen
children — Benjamin, the eldest, is married and
carries on farming in Wayne County, Iowa; Cor-
nelius, a widower, resides at home; Jerry is still
living on the old hoinestead ; George is married and
resides iu Liberty Township; Thaddeus is mar-

208

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ried and makes his home in South Dakota; Samuel,
a widower, is located in Keokuk County, Iowa;
Jolm is married and resides in Fairfield; Phoebe is
now 11 rs. Hill, of Wyoming; Elsie is now Mrs.
Henderson, of Hebron, Neb.; Mary is now Mrs.
Vaughn, of Galesburg, 111.; Sarah is now Mrs.
Barnett, of Fairfield; Jane died at the age of
eigiiteen years; and another child died in infancy.
In political sentiment Mr. Simmons is independ-
ent, voting for the man and not the party. He
supports those measures which he thinks will bene-
fit the greatest number of people, regardless of tiie
throats or persuasions of those who wish his sup-
port. While residing in Des Moines Township he
served as Road Supervisor, and in this township
was a member of the School Board, in which of-
fice he did not a little for the cause of education,
in whicli be feels a si)ecial interest. Few have so
long l»een residents of this community, and as an
honered pioneer, a rejiresentative fiirmer and worthy
citizen, he deserves representation in this volume.

C. CHENEY. For twenty-two consecutive

years upon a farm on section 33. Harrisbnrg

^ Township, Van Buren County, Mr. Cheney

has resided, a respected citizen of the community,
and for thirty years his home has been in this
neighborhood. His parents, Jonathan and Lydia
(Tuttle) Cheney, were both natives of New Hamp-
shire, were there married and in that State were
born unto thorn four children, the eldest of whom
is the subject of this sketch, his birth occurring
August 9,1821. His mother is still living at the
advanced age of over ninety 3'ears, but his father
died in this county in 1862.

The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood
days in his native .State, but began his business ca-
reer while in his teens in a grocery house in Lowell,
M.ass. It soon became evident that he possessed
excellent business qualifications, and with the thrift
and enterprise characteristic of the Yankee he ap-
plied himself to his business a'nd at the age of
twenty-two years had saved a sutlicient sum to cm-

bark in business for himself, which lie did, engag-
ing in the manufacture of boots and shoes in
Campton, N. H. He soon worked up a good trade,
his patronage requiring the employment of ten or
twelve hands. Continuing his career of prosperity
he soon became known as one of the substantial
citizens of the community, and while there residing
was made Captain of the militia company, and was
also for a number of years Clerk of the township.

In 1844. Mr. Cheney led to the marriage altar
Miss Betsy A. Smith, of Tillon, N. H., and in the
old Granite State there was born unto them a fam-
Uy of four children, the record of whom we bere
append. George, the eldest, who is engaged in
carpentering in York, Neb., married Miss Sarah
Sherman, of Bonaparte, Iowa, by whom he has one
child — Elsie; Daniel, who married Miss pjlizabeth
J. Cheney, of Hancock, 111., was for about fifteen
years a station agent in the employ of the Rock
Island Railroad, but is now living on the old farm,
his home being brightened by the presence of two
little daughters — Juniatta and Winnefred Maj"^;
Alice E. is now the wife of Dr. W. E. Lee, a prac-
ticing physician of Beatrice, Neb., and unto them
have been born two children — Frank and Gussie;
Edwin L. married Miss Estella Bugbee, of Lake
Village, N. H., where he is engaged in the grocery
business. They have three children — Fern. Allie
Wilber and an infant daughter.

In November, 1860, having severed his business
connections in the East, Mr. Cheney emigrated to
Iowa and purchased a partly improved farm of one
hundred and forty-five acres in Harrisbnrg Town-
ship, where he continued to make his homo for
seven 3'ears, when lie exchanged it for his present
farm, consisting of one hundred and seventy-five
acres. The entire amount he has placed under ex-
cellent cultivation and added many useful and
ornamental improvements. He also keeps the latest
improved machinery and raises a good grade of
stock. In fact everything connected with and sur-
rounding his home is in No. 1 order and bespeaks
tlie typical Eastern farmer, whose shrewd business
qualities and untiring industry have made him
known almost all over the world. In political sen-
timent Mr. Cheney is a Democrat, Init lias never
aspired to public office. He holds the position of

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

209

President of tlie iMt. Zion Farmers' Alliance, and
liis son Daniel is .Secretary of tbe same order.

The death of Mrs. Clieue}- occurred very unex-
pectedly on the 17th of January, 1887, caused by
heart disease. She had many warm friends who
mourned her loss and shared in the deep bereave-
ment of tbe family.

JVILLIAM MEEK, deceased. Probably no
jj man deserves more credit for the present
'^^^' prosperity of Van Buren County, and more
esiiecially of Bonaparte, than the gentleman of
whom we write, for his history is much of the his-
tory of the progress and business prosperity of the
community, lie was a native of Pennsylvania, but
in early life removed to Virginia, where he became
acquainted with and married Elizabeth Johnson, who
was born in that State. They removed to Wayne
Couuty, Ohio, wliere they lived some fifteen years.
They became the i)arents of nine children, eight of
whom lived to adult age. Accompanied by his
family, in 1829. Mr. Meek emigrated westward, lo-
cating in St. Joseph Count}'. Mich., where forsorae
eiirht years he engaged in farming and milling.
The month of July, 1837, witnessed the arrival of
William Meek in what is now Bonaparte, Van
Buren County, Iowa, but then formed a part of the
Territory of Wisconsin. The county was then but
sparsely settled but b}' the business facilities and
enterprise of its new citizens it has rapidly in-
creased in importance. He secured the water power
at this place and in company with his sons, Robert
and William, built the first grist and saw mill in
the count}', botu of which were under one roof.
These he operated until 1844, when the old build-
ings were torn down and in company with three
sons, Robert, William and Isaiah, he erected what
is now known as the Bonaparte Mills, but in that
early day was called the Meek Mills. For fifty miles
around people came to give them their patronage
and often the work so accumulated that persons
were obliged to camp out two weeks, awaiting
their turn to be served. Although in the mean-

time, the father died, the mill was operated by the
sons until 187W, when it was torn down and re-
placed by a brick struetui-e 40x50 feet and three
stories high with basement. It is furnislied with
the latest improved machinery and modern con-
veniences and has a capacity of seventy-five barrels
per day. The grist mill was attended with such
prosperity, that in 18.V3, Mr. Meek and his sons
were enabled to build what was known as the Bon-
aparte Woolen Mills, the first mills of the kind in
Southern Iowa. The building in which they car-
ried on operations was a stone and brick structure,
but in July, 18(;3. it was consumed by fire. How-
ever, with characteristic energy, the brothers began
to rebuild it and the result is their present factor}'-
of stone and brick, the dimensions of which are
50x85 feet and three stories in height, with an attic
and basement. The cost of the building was -$12,-
00(.) and the purchase price of the machinery was
§40,000. This mill furnishes employment to some
eighty-five persons and manufactures cassimere,
blankets, flannels and stocking yarn. Isaiah Meek
& Sons also own and operate a ))ants factory which
was put in operation in May, 1889. and which
furnishes employment to some fifty hands and
where the pants are made from the cassimere man-
ufactured from their own looms. Altogether one
hundred and thirty -three persons receive work at
the hands of this firm, one hundred and thirty
being employed in the mills, the remaining three
iloing duty as traveling salesmen. In connection
with their business, they also own two thousand
acres of land, one thousand of which is under culti-
vation.

William Meek, the father of the family was a
pioneer in three States. His record is that of a
self-made man, who without capital began life's
battle and by hard work, perseverance and good
business ability came off victorious. Of uidoniit-
able will and energy he overcame all obstacles and
difficulties, labored on untiringly and as a result his
efforts wei'e crowned with success. The benefit his
business enterprises have been to this community
cannot be estimated, but with gratitude will be re-
membered by the citizens <jf the county for years
to come.

The familv of Mr. and ^Irs. William Meek con,!

210

PORTRAIT A^'D BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

sisted of the following children : Johnson, a resident
uf Lee County, Iowa; Elizabeth, wife of A. H.
Woods of Van Buren CoinUy; Robert and William,
liavtiiers in liie extensive miiiing interests; Ann,
widow of Thomas CiiarUon of Daupliin County,
Neb.; Isaiah, also interested in the iiusincss : Rachel
J. who became the wife of A. J. Poe and died in
Missouri; Benjamin who died in 1838, when a child ;
Joseph is also a resident of Bonaparte. Tiie ]jarenls
of this famil3' were niendjersof the Baptist Churcli
and were numbered among the best citizens and
most highly respected people of the communit}'.
Tiieir acquaintance was extensive and their friends
were almost numberless. The motlicr wa.s called
to lier final rest in 18.5(), and after a long and use-
ful life Mr. Jleek pas.sed to his reward in 18C3.

Isuiah Meek, one of the proprietors of the Bona-
parte woolen and grist mills, was born in Wayne
County, Ohio, January' 31, 1821, and at the age of
eight 3'ears accompanied bis jjarents to St. Joseph
County. Mich., where he acquired a common-school
education. At tlie age of sixteen, he accompanied
his parents to Van Buren County, Iowa, and as-
si>'cd in building up the large and prosperous
milling business of Bonaparte, the leading industry
of the place. He has alwa\-s taken an active and
commendable interest in anything pertaining to the
welfare of the community and has done not a little
toward bringing about its present prosperity and
placing the county on a par with the sister counties
in this vast commonwealth. His business ability is
of a superior order and the upriglit way in which
everything connected with the business has been
carried on, has won for himself and the other mem-
bers of the firm the respect and confidence of the
community and secured to them a liberal patron-
age.

In 1844, Mr. ;\Ieek was joined in wedlock with
Miss Cynthia Ann Ingalls, a native of Ohio, born
in 1827. They became parents of six children:
Nancy A., wife of T. W. Boyer, a merchant of
Bonaparte; Phoebe L., wife of J. S. Moore,of Keo-
kuk, Iowa; H. H. who is associated with his father
in business ;'Mary E., wife of William B. Daniels, of
Keokuk; Byron F., a partner ot the Bonaparte
Woolen & Grist Mill Company, and Kirk who is
also of the same company.

In political sentiment, IMr. Meek is a stanch
Ueniocral and feels a deep interest in the success of
the party but has never been a politician in the
sense of office seeking. He was, however, elected to
the position of Supervisor but not through his own
seeking. When we look back over the past and see
the wonderful changes which time and civilization
have made we cannot but exclaim '"Surely the age
of wonders is upon us." The prosperity of the
community is due greatly to its pioneers and
knowing this to be true we would question, what
would Van Buren County have been had it not
been for the Meek family. AVc give them all honor
for the noble work which thej' have done and take
pleasure in thus presenting a brief record of their
career to the readers of this Album.

stM^^

-•^

V HARLES REED, M. D., of Fairfield, who
for many years engaged in farming in Jef-

'/ son County, but is now living a retired life,
is a self-made man in every respect, and it is with
])leasure that we present to the readers of the Al-
nrjt this brief sketch of his life, wliich is as fol-
lows. He was born in Portage County', Ohio,
June 18, 1812, on the day that United States de-
clared war against Great Britain. The Reed fam-
ily is an old Scotch family that settled in New
England at an early day. His father, Charles
Reed, was born in Ellington, Conn., May 1, 1783,
and was reared to farm life, which he ever after-
terwards followed. He wedded Rejoice Diver, who
was born April 30, 1790, in Blandford, Mass., and
was of Holland descent. With their respective
families both emigrated to the Western Reserve,
and settled in Portage County, where, on the Gth
of Julj', 1806, they were married. They began
their domestic life upon a fariii, and Mr. Reed be-
came a successful farmer and stock-raiser, owning
considerable tracts of land beside valuable stock.
He .served his country in tlie War of 1812, ami in
political sentiment was a Jackson Democrat, but
wlien his boys grew up they all became Whigs,
and he joined them, politically, and afterward sup-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

211

ported the Republican part}'. Both lie and his wife
were mcinbprs of the Methodist Church and both
liied on the old homestead farm in Portage County.
The wife was called to her final rest July 12, 1867,
and while caring for her grave he contracted a
severe cold, which terminated his earthly career
on the 4th of September. They were the parents
of ten children, but of that once numerous family
only two are now living — the Doctor, and Harriet,
wife of Dr. Jonathan Gibbs. One brother, Dr. Silas
Reed, formerly of St. Louis, Mo., was appointed
Survej'or General for Missouri and Iowa, by Presi-
dent AV. H. Harrison, subsequently served as a sur-
geon in the late war and during President Cirant's
administration was appointed Surveyor for Wyo-
ming.

Our subject vvas the third child of the family.
On his father's farm the days of his boyhood and
youth were spent, and until seventeen years of age
he attended the common schools, when he entered
an academy at Middlebury, Ohio. On the com-
pletion of his academic education he began fitting
himself for the medical profession bj' reading for
three years in Deerfield and Canton. He then took
his hrst coui'se of lectures at the Medical College
of Ohio, in Cincinnati. When he first wont to that
city he had but a few dollars acquired by teaching
school, but cholera broke out, and he had all the
practice he could attend to, so that in the fall when
college opened he had a nice little sum accumu-
lated. In the spring of 1835 he was grailualed
from the Cincinnati Medical College, after which
he opened an office in New Philadelphia, Ohio,
wheie he practiced successfully lor thirteen years.
lie then removed to Massillon, Ohio, where he con
tiiiued to engage in professional vvork until his
emigration to Iowa.

In New Philadelphia, on the 3d of Februaiy,
1839, Dr. Reeil vvas joined in wedlock with Anna
C. Canfield, who was born in that place, January
8, 181 y, and is a daughter of George W. and Kittie
A. (Clark) Canfield. Her father was born in j\Ior-
istovvn. N. J., November 7, 1793, and her mother
in Wellsburg, Ya.. December 27, 1798. They be-
came acquainted after their emigration to Ohio and
were united in marriage March 10, 1818. Mr.
Canfield was a man who stood high in the comniu-

nit}' and took a prominent part in all local affairs.
He was a Whig in political sentiment and for
many years held the offices of Clerk of the Court
and Recorder. He died on the 26th of October,
1826, after which his widow was appointed Post-
mistress of New Philadelphia, by Gen. Jackson,
holding the office for twentj^-five years, at the
exi)iration of which time she resigned. She spent
her last days with her children and departed this
life in Erie, Pa., July 11, 1861. The daughters of
the family, three in number, still live, but the only
son is now deceased. The sisters of Mrs. Reed are:
Harriet, wife of I'rof. J. C. Zachos, a native of
Greece; and Catherine M., wife of Nathan Blich-
ensderfer.

In 185.5, abandoning his profession on account
of failing health. Dr. Reed sought a home in Iowa.
It was his intention to locate at Des Moines, but,
stopping over Sunday with Thomas Mitchell, of
Mitchellville, he learned of a good farm within
a mile and a half of the city of Fairfield and made
purchase of about six hundred acres, for which he
l)aid ^10,000. The farm was noted for its many
fine improvements of that early time, to which the
Doctor also added. In 1856 he located on his
purchase, where he made his home until 1881,
when he removed to Fairfield, selling the farm for
twice what he paid for it, or *20,(i00.

To Mr. and iMrs. Reed were born six children —
Cliarles J., who was married and died at the age of
forty-four years, leaving two children, served some
six years as Government Surveyor; Mary H. died
at the age of nine years; George C, who is en-
gaged in banking in Yuma, Col., was appointed
by President Harrison, Receiver of Moneys at the
land office of Akron, Col.; Frederick P. is a miller
of Asliford, Neb.; Frank W. is engaged in the
banking business with his brother George; and the
Rev. Elmer E. is a minister in the Presbyterian
Church. Both the Doctor and his wife are mem-
bers of that church-, and in politics he is now a
Republican. He cast his first Presidential vote for
tlie Whig candidate in 1836, and continued to
support that parly until its dissolution. The career
of Dr. Reed is in many ways worthy of emulation,
especially the exercise of such characteristics as
perseverance, energy and zeal, which have marked

212

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

liis entire life. He entered upon m.anliood with no
capital; he made his own w.ay tlu'ougli college;
he began his business careev without the aid of in-
fluential friends and, step by step, he climbed
steadily upward until he lias reached an envialile
position in the esteem of iiis fellow-citizens. AVhile
engaged in the practice of medicine he was ever
found in the front rank of his professional brethren,
and as a farmer, he was distinguislied Viy an energy
and industry which made his home an object of in-
terest and attractiveness to all passers-b^-.

^»^"V, F. ELY. who resides on section 6, Harris

. V, burg Township, is one of the leading stock

I) I! raisers of Van I'.uren County, and to him
S^ great credit is due for tlie advance^d grades
of stock which we now find in the community. His
farm comprises one hundred and twent\' acres,
one hundred of which is under a good slate of cul-
tivation, while the remainder is timber land. He
is also one of the early settlers of the county and
has lieen a witness of much of its growtli and de-
velopment.

The life record of Mr. Ely is as follows. lie was
born in Hampshire County, W. Va., August 27,1854,
and is the second son of J. W. and i\Iary E. (Ed-
wards) Ely, who were natives of the Old Dominion.
Only two years of his life, however, were spent in his
native State, for when he was a babe of two sum-
mers, his parents removed to Illinois where he was
reared to farm life, receiving such educational ad-
vantages as the common schools of the neighbor-
hood afforded. At the .age of twenty-one years he
began the battle with the world for position and
prosperity and by the exercise of industry, enter-
prise and good business ability, he has met with
fair success. In partnership with his father he first
purchased a farm of one hundred acres, but after
operating the same for three years they sold out
and became owners of his present home.

In the spring of 188-1, Mr. Ely was united in
marriage with Miss Ida J. Steadman, of Knox

County, 111., daughter of V. t'.and A. J. Steadman,
who were natives of the Empire State. The union
of the young people was celebrated on the 26th of
March, and has been blessed with three children —
May, Lester F. and Maud, and they also lost one.
Mr. El}- was re:ued in the faith of the Methodist
Church and holds membership with the organiza-
tion in I'tica. His wife is a member of the Bap-
tist Church. In politics he is a stanch Democrat
but has never sought or desired the honors or emol-
uments of public office, preferring to devote his
entire attention to his business interests. As he is
succeeding in his undertakings and as his social
relations are most jileasant in cliaracter, he will
probably make Van Buren County his permanent
home and thereby' the community gains a worthy
citizen.

J. W. El}', who is living on section 7, H.arris-
burg Township, was born in Virginia, in 1831, his
parents being Benjamin and Rose A.(Powelson)Ely.
His father was a miller by trade and made that his
business during the greater part of his life. J. W.
was reared to manhood under the parental roof
.and learned the trade which occupied his father's
attention, following the same for five or six 3^ears
after reaching man's estate. In 18,56, he left his
home in Virginia and emigratetl to Illinois, where
he believed better o|)portunities were afforded for
a prosperous career than in the older and more
thickly populated States along the Atlantic coast.
He had but ^50 in his pocket at that time but
although his cash capital was small he possessed an
unbounded supply of energy, vitality and consid-
erable business ability. He at first rented land but
in the course of ten 3'ears, aside from meeting all
expenses had saved enough to purchase a good
farm. Three years longer he remained in Illinois,
when in the autumn of 1869, he sought a home in
Van Buren County. Iowa, locating on section 7,
Harrisburg Township, where he still resides.

In 1850, Mr. El}' formed a matrimonial alliance
with Miss Mary Edwards of Virginia, daughter of
Robert and Eva (Hawkins,) Edwards, Ijoth of whom
were of German descent. I ntothem have been born
four children — Robert, who lives on section 8, Har-
risburg Township; B. F., whose sketch is given
above; Ann C, wife of A. W. Warner of Washing-

POUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

213

ton Township; and James A., who is engaged in
agrienltural pursnits in Ilarrisburg Township. Mr.
and Mrs. Kly are members of the Methodist Church
of I'tica, to which they give liberal support anil in
which they are active workers. All laudable en-
terprises are sure to find in Mr. Ely a friend, for he
is always willing to aid in the advancement of any
interest beneficial to his town and county. He is
an inflexible adherent of the Democracy and a pro-
nounced supporter of the free-trade |)rinciples. He
and his son, B. F., rank among the leading stock
raisers of the country. They make a specialty of
horses, keeping on hands only the best grades and
these they are constantly improving. The}' are
shrewd, sagacious business men and the success
which has crowned their efforts is but a just re-
ward of their labors.

— jj^M-^*^

«^«^«<^<?»

'JOSEPH F. PERKINS is one of the substan-
tial farmers and stock-raisers of \'an Buren
Count}'. his home being in Bonaparte. In pre-
' senling his sketch to the readers of the Album
we record not only the life of an honorable pioneer
but also that of a self-made man whose example of
industrj', enterprise and zeal can hardlj' be excelled.
He overcame the difHculties caused by limited ed-
ucation, surmounted the barriers of poverty and
wijrking his way upward, step by step, at length
reached a position of affluence.

Mr. Perkins vvas born in Pocahontas County ,Va.,
-July 21, 1810, and belonged to a family number-
ing four sons antl four daughters, the parents be-
ing Francis and Mary Perkins, who were also
natives of the Old Dominion. Elizabeth, his eld-
est sister died in California; Joseph, is the second
in order of birth; Robert, makes his home in Cali-
fornia: William died in Van Buren Count}'; Dor-
athea bi'came the wife of B. F. Myer, and died
in Oregon; lOveline, widow of Charles Flowers, is
living in California; George W., makes his home
in New Castle, Cal,; Rebecca, is the wife of George
W. Cavitt who is living near Sacramento City; and
Mary Frances died in N'irginia in vouth. In 1843

Mr. Perkins came with his family to Van Buren
County, but his death occurred tliree years later.
In iiolitics he was a Jackson Democrat and served
as Clerk of the court in liis native State. During
the War of 1812 he entered the service but while
on his way to the front, hostilities were brought to
a close. After the death of her husband Mrs. Per-
kins went to California where she spent her last
days.

The subject of this sketch, Joseph F. Perkins,
was reared, until seventeen years of .age. in his na-
tive State and as his family were in limited circum-
stances his educational advantages were not of the
best. Experience and observation, however, have
been to him excellent teachers and he has stored
away a fund of useful information, practical in char-
acter, which he would probably not have acquired
had he been enabled to attend school more regularly.
In 1832, at the time of the Black Hawk War, he
went to (jincinnati, Ohio, but cholera was preval-
ent in the city at that time and he continued on to
Lima, Ind. On his twentieth birthday, the 13th of
June, 183G, he arrived in A'an Buren County, which
then formed a part of the Territory of Wisconsin.
At that time the entire Gtate was but little in-
habited and its bright future could have never been
been dreamed of, much less realized. In fact, it
was thought to be almost beyond the borders of
civilization. Such men as Mr. Perkins, who were
among the early comers and bore the hardships
and privations of pioneer life, laid the foundation
for its present prosperity and to them we owe un-
bounded gratitude. The land was unsurveyed and
in Van Buren County there were only a few houses,
situated along the river. Mr. Perkins made q. claim
in F'armington Township, near Bonaparte, and when
the land came into market went to Burlington in
1839 and secured the title, paying $1.25 per acre
for sixty-three acres, which he made by working
for William Meek at seventy-five cents per day.
To this he has since added by subsequent purchase
until now a highly cultivated farm of four hun-
dred acres pays a golden tribute to the care and la-
bor whii'h he bestows upon it. The entire amount
is under fence and there are seen all modern im-
provements.

Mr. Perkins has been twice married. The year

214

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

suceeediug bis arrival in this county he was joined'
in wedlocl\ with Miss Eliza Maxwell and unto them
were born two children wiio lived to adult age,
namely: Mary F., wife of John \i. Edwards, a res-
ident of Bonaparte; and Joseph W., who makes his
home in Ketchum, Idaho. The death of the mother
occurred in 1844 and for a second wife Mr. Perkins
chose Miss Eliza Mj'ers. Their union was blessed
with seven ciiildren, four of vvhora are living —
Sarah, who married Andrew Petrie of Van Buren
County; Robert who died at the age of twen-
ty-four 3'ears; William, of Van Buren County;
James, who is engaged in farming: Jane deceased
wife of Thomas B. Johnson; Ellen, who married
Noah Moler; and Allen, who is also living in
Van Buren County. Mrs. Perkins was called
to her last rest in 1 885 and her death was the
occasion of deep regret on the part of many friends.
In connection with the cultivation of his land
Mr. Perkins devotes considerable attention to
stock-raising, making a specialty of horses. He has
some very fine animals on his farm of the Norman
Cl3'de and Morgan breeds. In political sentiment,
Mr. Perkins is a Democrat, and a stanch supporter
of party principles. Though seventy-five years
of age he is fresh in appearance, active in move-
ment and bright in intellect.

,g^mM^^^^

VMLLIAM B. FLEMING, Clerk of tiie courts
Jll of A'an Buren County, has been connected
{/■ with that position either as superior officer
or as deputy for eleven years. He is a resident of
Keosauqua and is numbered among its representa-
tive and influential citizens. Mr. Fleming was
born in Franklin County, Pa., on the 30th of De-
cember, 1838, and is a son of Charles and Mar-
garet (Boggg) Fleming. In his boyhood he mani-
fested a spirit of perseverance and energy which
have been among his important characteristics
throughout life. Not content with the limited
educational advantages which he bad received, he
set to work to acquire the raonej- with which to
continue his studies, and in that manner paid his

tuition in an academy, where he became proficient
in all tiie English branches. He then turned his
attention to school teaching, and was quite success-
ful in the prosecution of that profession, but aban-
doned it at the breaking out of the late war.

Among the first to respond to the President's
call for troops to put down the rebellion in its in-
fancy, was William Fleming. Hardly had the guns
of Ft. Sumter ceased their reverberations until,
as a member of Company D, Twenty-fifth Ohio In-
fantry, he donned the blue. The date of his en-
listment was April 27,1861, and, with his regiment,
be was mustered into service at Columbus, Ohio,
where the troops remained a short time, after which
they were forwarded to West Virginia. Their first
duty was the guarding of the Baltimore ck Ohio
Railroad near Grafton, and the first engagement
in which they participated occurred at Briar Hill,
opposing the rebel forces under Gen. Lee. About
this time Company D was transferred to the
Twelfth Independent Ohio Batter^'; in fact, it be-
came the nucleus of the same. At its organization
Mr. Fleming was commissioned Second Lieutenant,
and soon afterward was promoted to be First Lieu-
tenant. This batteiy participated in a nundjer of
important engagements, including the battles of
Franklin and Jackson and the second battle of Bull
Run, where it took the field one hundred and fif-
ty-five strong, but returned witii only sixty men.
Besides this great loss of life all their horses and
guns were captured. With his command, Mr. Flem-
ing fought at the battles of Fredericksburg and
Chancellorsville, after which, in the winter of
1863, he resigned on account of ill-health. As soon
as he had somewhat regained his usual strength, he
once more enlisted as a private in his former com-
mand, joining the battery at Nashville, Tenn.,
whence the forces were sent to Murfreesboro,
where they remained until the close of the war,
being mustered out of service-on the KHli of July,
1865.

On the cessation of hostilities and the restora-
tion of peace to the country, Mr. Fleming returned
to his home in Ohio, but in the spring of 1867
came to Van Buren County, Iowa, locating in
Milton, where he follov/ed bis old profession of
teaching. Some twelve years later he abandoned that

^'

f\

WILLIAM BARKER.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

217

pursuit, having been api)ointe(!, in January, 1879,
to tlie position of Deputy Clerlv of the Court, under
James;Gillespie. For six years lie held that office
and then received the nomination for Clerk of the
Court, to wliich he has three times been elected,
and when his present term shall have expired will
have been connected with the otHce for twelve
j'ears, a fact which certainly indicates tliat his
duties have ever been discharged in a prompt and
faithful manner and to the satisfaction of all con-
cerned. He attends to his business in a quiet and
unassuming manner, but Ihrfnigh his fidelity to
every trust has won hosts of friends. Sociall\', he
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging
to Keosauqua Lodge, No. lo, A. F. it A. M., and
to Moore Chapter, No. 28, R. A. U.

On the lUh of March, 1872, in Van Buren
County, Mr. Fleming was united in marriage with
Miss Florence Kent, daugiiter of Daniel Kent, of Ft.
Madisou. They have now a famUy of three chil-
dren living, two sons and one daughter — Carl,
Craig and Ethel.

■^3-

■^

W»,)ILLIAM ANDERSON BARKER, who
since 1839 has been a resident of Van
Buren County, now resides on section G,
Van Bnren Township, in a magnificent home, where
comforts and luxuries abound as the result of his
own enter|]iise and industry. His occupation is
that of farming and stock-raising, and by the exer-
cise of goo<l business principles he has become one
of the substantial citizens of the community. The
history of his life is as follows.

Mr. Barker was boru on the 3d of July, 1833, in
Carroll County, Ohio, being the sixth chihl of .lo-
seph and Anna (Manchester) Barker. \Vc have no
authentic record concerning the early history of
the family. His father, however, was a native of
Washington County, Pa., where he grew to man-
hood receiving a limited education as far as schools
were concerned, but by self culture he became a
well-informed man. He learned the carpenter's
trade in his yraith and followed that occupation as

a means of livelihood until he had accumulated
enough to purchase a farm, when he turned his at-
tention to agricultural pursuits, continuing that
business during tlie remainder of his life. When
about twenty-one years of age he left his native
State and removed to Ohio, where he shortly after-
ward married Miss Anna Manchester, who was boru
in 1808, and was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah
Manchester. The fruits of this union were seven-
teen children, fourteen of whom grew to maturit}-,
while ten of the number are still living. Alfred,
the eldest, died in infancy; Eunice died at the age
of seventeen years; Elizabeth died aged five years;
Eliza J. became the wife of Henry Shaffer, and
died in Davis County, Iowa, about 1857, leaving
two childiep; ;\Irs. JIar}' llootman, of Van Buren
Township, is the mother of ten children; W. A., of
this sketch is the next younger; Mrs. Hannah Sber-
od died in 1863, leaving three children; Almira,
now Mrs. Freshwaters, is living in Van Buren
County; Mrs. Isabel Calhoun, makes her home in
Birmingham, Union Township, Van Buren County;
Mrs. Sarah Smith, now a widow, is living in Van
Buren Township; ArnoM C. is engaged in farming
in Washington Township; Joseph A. died in Leba-
non, Mo., while in the United States' service in
1863; Jolm S. is engaged in farming in Davis
County; Cath.arine is the wife of William Bott, of
Lick Creek Township; Maria T. is the wife of L.
Sherod. of Union Townshi|), and Hugh B. is a mer-
chant of Mt. Zion, and another died in infancy.

The father of this family, Joseph Barker, is
numbered among the pioneer settlers of Van Buren
County of 1839, in which year he and his family
took up their residence uiion a farm of one hun-
dred and sixtj^ acres of Government land which he
had entered. He became one of the [irominent citi-
zens of the comnmnity, and took an active part in
both politics and cliurch work. In 1854 he iden-
tified himself with the I\e|Hiblican party and con-
tinued one of its stanch supporters until his death.
He was also a zealous member of the Presbyterian
Church. He died in November, 1882, at the ago
of eighty-three years. His wife, whose death oe-
cured the year previous, was a devout Christian
woman and a follower of the Calvanist doctrine.
Amid the wild scenes of pioneer life W. A. Bar-

218

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ker was rearerl to inanhoorl. His advantages were
necess<avil3' limited and he was obliged to assist in
the arduous labors of farm life in those early days.
I>om 1840 until 1854, during tlie winter seasons,
he attended school in a log scboolliouse, and at
the age of twenty started out in life for himself.
The discovery of gold in California liad awakened
liopes in bis breast and with the desire of rapidly
acquiring wealth be crossed the plains to the
Golden State. He gave a cow and §15 in cash for
the privilege of driving an ox-team, and was six
months in making the trip. He remained on the
P.acific Slope until November. 1859, engaged in
mining and farming, but not meeting with the suc-
cess be anticipated he decided to return. Once more
be resumed farming in Van Buren County, and dur-
ino- the thirty-one years which have since elapsed
has continued that occupation. His first purchase
of land consisted of an eighty-acre tract only par-
tially improved, upon which be raised corn and
boa's, but the boundaries of bis farm have since
been extended until he now owns eight hundred
and fifty acres, the greater part of which is situated
in one body. For the past five years he has engaged
in sbeep-raising, keeping on hand an average of
about eight hundred head of a good grade. He
also raises horses, cattle and hogs, and no inferior
animal will be seen in the whole lot. He takes a
pride in raising fine stock, and has done not a little
to advance the gr.ades of stock in this county. As be-
fore intimated, be has met with success in his under-
takings and in the years of industry and ceaseless
activity which have passed since bis return from
California, be has worked bis way upward to a po-
sition of wealth and affluence. As a citizen, he is
highly esteemed and is regarded as a leading mem-
ber of the Republican party in this communHy.
But notwithstanding be has ever felt a deep inter-
est in tbe success and welfare of the party he has
never aspired to official distinction, preferring to
devote his time and attention to las l)usiness inter-
ests.

In 18G0 Mr. Barker married Miss Rebecca D.,
daughter of Wesley and Sarah (Sberod) True, both
of whom were natives of Ohio. Her mother died
when she was an infant but her fatlier is still living
and makes his home in Miami County, Kan. By

tbeir union there have been born ten children, seven
of whom are jet living: Frank, born in 1861, died
at tbe age of fourteen months; Zora, born in 1863,
is at home; Elna L., born in 1864, is the wife of
T. L. Workman, of Van Buren Township, and the
mother of two children — Blanclie and Hazel; Delia,
born in 1866, is still with ber parents; Walter G.,
born in 1869, died at the age of two j-ears; Lelia
O. was born in 1871; Bessie L., in 1873; Wilda A.,
in 1876; William W., in 1878; Claude, who was
born in 1883 and died in 1888, completes the fam-
ily. Mr. and Sirs. Barker, together with several of
their children, are members of tbe Presb_vterian
Church, of Mt. Zion, in which the father holds the
office of Elder. He gives liberally to tbe support
of the church, is an active worker for its interests,
and is also a warm friend to the cause of education.
Tbe home of this family, whose members we have
just individually mentioned, is probably the finest
in Van Buren County. The large and elegant brick
dwelling, which is neat and tasty in architectural
designs and elegant in finish, and which is also
furnished handsomely, though not gaudily, is sur-
rounded by a large and well-kept lawn and beauti-
ful shade trees. Outlying buildings indicate that
ample provision has been made for the care of the
stock, and the farm may truly be called a model
one.

NTHONY T. PREWITT, deceased, was a
native of Kentuck}-, his birth having oc-
curred on tbe 25th of October, 1810.
l(«/y While growing to manhood be learned

the tanner's trade and worked thereat until he came
West. Prior to leaving his native State he was
united in marriage with Sophrona J. Latimer, and.
accompanied by his 3'oung bride, emigrated to Lee
County, Iowa, in a very early day. About 1843
they removed to ^'an Buren Countj-, where Mrs.
Prewitt died November 9, 1845, leaving four chil-
dren to mourn her loss, namely : Goldson, who in
engaged in carpentering; James D., a farmer by
occupation; Sarah J., wife of James Stuckey; and
Ann M., wife of C. C. Rejnolds.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

21i»

On the 14th of October. 1846, Mr. Prewitt was
again married, his seconrt union being witli Nancy
C, daughter of James and Mary A. (Miller) Rut-
ledge, both of whom were of Sontliern birth, the
former born May 11, 1781, and the latter Octoljer
21, 1787. The place of their nativity is not cer-
tainly known, but they lived in South Carolina and
Georgia, prior to emigrating to Pike County, 111.
About 1824 they removed to S.angamou, now Me-
nard Count}', III., where Mr. Rutledge built and
operated a mill for some time. lie afterward kept
a tavern in New Salem and subsequently settled
on a farm, where he died December 3, 1835. lie
and his wife were members of the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church, and were intelligent and in-
dustrious citizens, well respected by all. Their
family numbered nine children, as follows: Jane
O., John M., Anna Mayes, David H., Robert B.,
Nancy C, Margaret A., William B. and Sarah F.
The third child, known in history as Ann Rut-
ledge, was the lady to whom President Lincoln was
engaged, and whose death, at the age of twenty-
three, spread such a gloom over the j'oung lawyer's
life. In 1838 Mrs. Rutledge, with six of her chil-
dren, removed to Van Buren County, Iowa, locat-
ing near the Jefferson County line. She died in
Birmingham, that county, December 26, 1878,
being over ninety-one years of age at the time of
her death.

Mrs. Prewitt was born in White County, 111., on
the 10th of February, 1821, and, witii her family,
settled in Van Buren County-, as above stated.
After her marriage she lived on the farm in that
county, making it her home until 1880, when she
became a resident of Fairfield, which is still her
home.

The death of Mr. Prewitt occurred on the 9th
of February, 1864, and was the cause of deep re-
gret throughout the entire community. He was a
man that looked with wistful eyes to the moral
advancement of the community and in every way
possible aided in the trium|)h of right over wrong.
He served as an Elder in the Cumberland Presb}'-
terian Church and made his religion a part of his
life. Politically, he was a Hepublican, hut he loved
the quiet of his home mure tlian the excitement of
a public career, and in consequence never sought

political distinction. He was not of a grasping dis-
position, but alwaj's strove to make his family
comfortable, and was ever ready to lend a helping
hand to those in need.

The rearing and educating of the children fell
large!}' upon Mrs. Piewitt, who tenderly and care-
fully performed the duty thus left to her. The
record of her children, four in number, is as fol-
lows; David, the eldest, died at the age of twenty-
four years, leaving a wife and two children; Mary
E. died in infancy; Anthony M. is a minister of
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, now engaged
in i)astoral work in California; and William S., an
expert stenographer, is court reporter for the dis-
trict. Mrs. Prewitt and her youngest son are mem-
bers of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

jljfjj^c

J S, OBERT MEEK is numbered among the
Li<^ honored pioneer settlers of Van Buren
County, Iowa, and well deserves represen-
tation in this volume for he has been prom-
inently identified with the growth and upbuilding
of the count}' and the advancement of its interests.
B}- written record we can perpetuate the memory
of the founders of the county and make them and
their lives known to coming generations who, with
gratitude, should honor them for the noble work
which they have performed.

Robert Meek was born in Wayne County, Ohio,
on the 25lh of January, 1815, and there spent the
first fourteen years of his life. He then accompanied
his parents on their emigration to St. Josepii, Mich.
Near that city his father laid out the town of Con-
stantine. In 1835, in company with his father, and
brother, Johnson Meek, he went on a prospecting
tour to the South, visiting in Louisiana and Texas,
but tlie latter was overrun with brigands, and
not caring to make a location in the former, they
returned to the North and in 1836 visited Lee
County, Iowa, where Johnson njade a location.
Although the county was then in its infancy it gave
inomise of ra|)i(l growth and development, and
Mr. Meek <letermined here to locate, so after se-

220

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

lecting lanrl, in the spring of 1837, he retraced his
steps^to St. Joseph, Mich., in order to remove wilii
the family to their new home. Witli the exception
of one son, Johnson, all came to Van Buren County,
Iowa, and with the history of this community the
name of ISIeelv has since been inseparably con-
necteil. The family located in what is now tlie tovvn
of Bonaparte, but the place had not then been
founded. The county' was wild, contained but few
settlers and the greater part of the land was still in
its primitive condition. The first meal of victuals
our subject ate vvas in the home of James Jordan,
and at the same table sat the celebrated Indian chief,
Black Hawk.

Robert Meek was thre<' times married. In 18.38
he was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Ann Al-
len, and of their union were born four children,
three of whom lived to mature years. Elizabeth
Ann, born in 1839, is the wife of Joseph Sanders,
of Bonaparte; Sarah Jane is the wife of J. F. Leach,
of Milton, Van Buren County; and Alvira, who
became the wife of J. W. Miller, died at her home
in this county in 1884. The mother of this family
went to her final rest October 3, 184.5, and for his
second wife Mr. Meek chose Miss Nancy Flint, a
native of New York. Their union was blessed
with four children, two sons and two daughters, but
one of the latter died in infancy. Alinda P. is the
wife of S. E. Foster, of Jackson Township, Van
Buren County; William married Miss Alice Sharp,
who died leaving two children, Alden and Effie,
and for his second wife wedded Miss Maggie M.
Johnson, by whom he had four children — Shirley,
Charlotte, Georgia and William. This family now
resides in Denver, Col. R. Flint married Miss
Gertie Christy, who is now deceased, and unto
them were born four sons, of whom three are living
— Carl, IJarry and R. Guy.* Mrs. Nancy Meek
died June 1, 1853, and a third time Mr. Meek was
married, that union being with Mrs. Abigail P.
Barber, widow of Dudley C. Barber. She was born
in St. Lawrence County N. Y., and by her second
union became the mother of four children — Alma
I., who died at the age of five years; Lewis Cass,
of Bonaparte; Robert E., who is living in this
county; and Oscar L., of Polk County, Iowa.

Robert Meek, whose name heads this sketch, was

identified with many of the leading interests of
Van Buren County. Being among its earliest set-
tlers, he shared in the trials and hardships of pio-
neer life. He made his liome in the community
when the Indians far outnumliered his white neigh-
bors, when wild animals, such as wolves, were fre-
quently seen and when deer and other wild game
was found in aliundance. The growth of the
county he witnessed, watching its transformation
from an unbroken wilderness to a tract of rich fer-
tility, whose well-cultivated farms are equal to an\'
iu the State. He saw the pioneer log cabins re-
placed by commodious and substantial residences,
villages transformed into cities and towns springing
up on every hand, while churches and schools have
been built, thus showing the onward march of
civilization.

^=

eHARLES P. SIPPEL, of Fairfield, Jefferson
County, has been Clerk of the District Court
since 1883, and during the seven j'ears in
which he has discharged the duties of that office,
has won hosts of friends, alike for his courteous
treatment and the able manner in which he fills the
position. He is of German birth, and a son of Jus-
tus P. and Gertrude (Dippel) Sippel, who were also
natives of the same country, and passed their en-
tire lives in that land.

Our subject was born on the 3d of March, 1841,
in Hesse-Cassel, German}-, and when a lad of six-
teen years, bidding good by to home and father-
land, he sailed for the New World, determined to
try his fortune inlhe countr}' of whose prospects
and opportunities he had so often heard. He spent
the succeeding year after his arrival in New York,
and then went to Lebanon County, Pa., where he
remained until the war. The condition of the slaves
in the South appealed to his sympathies, and seeing
that his country's honor and freedom were im-
periled, he resolved to strike a blow in her defense.
Enlisting in September, 186], he was assigned to
Company G, of tlie Ninety-third Pennsylvania In-
fantry, and served for three years, receiving his dis-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

221

charge in September, 1864. Soon after his enlist-
ment he was made First Sergeant, and on the 27th
of Decern Ijer, 1862, was eomiuissionod Captain of
Company G, witli wliicli he continued until mus-
tered out of the service. His command became a
part of the Army of tlie Potomac, and witii tliat
force participated in manj' important liattles, in-
cluding the engagements at Fair Oalis. Antietam,
Fredericl<sburg, Seven Days Battle of the Wilder-
ness, and the iiard fought battle of Gettysburg. He
was also under fire in most of the engagements from
that time until the siege of Petersburg, inchiding
the battles of the Shenandoah Valley, the engage-
ment at Winchester, Seijtember 19, 1861, and the
battle of Fisher's Hill on tlie 21st of September.
Nine days later, his term having expired, he was
mustered out of the service. He was once slightly
wounded, during the battle of .Spottsylvania Court
House, May 12, 1864, but otherwise escaped unin-
jured. He was always found at his post, leading
his men where duty called, and proved his lo^'alty
to his ailopted land liy his faithfulness, heroism and
braver^'.

On his return from the South. Mr. Si[)pel again
located in Lebanon County, Pa., where he contin-
ued to make his home until the spring of 1869.
That j'ear witnessed his arrival in Jefferson County,
and, embarking in farming, he continued that pur-
suit in Polk Township until 1879, when he was ap-
pointed Deputy Clerk of the District Court. Three
years later, in the fall of 1882, he was elected to his
present position, and entered upon the duties of
his office January 1, 1883. Thrice has he been re-
elected, and at the expiratiou of his present term
will have held tlie office eigiit years. Faithful to
every trust reposed in him, he has merited the con-
fidence of the people, and has proved a worthy offi-
cial.

In this county, on the 21st of September, 1871,
Mr. Sippel led to the marriage altar Miss Sarah J.
Leisure, a daughter of James M. Leisure, and a na-
tive of CTreenfield, Ind. Three children have been
born of their union, one son and two daughters:
Maggie G., wife of A. U. Cornell, of Fairfield;
James Adolph and Lula, who are still at home. The
parents and oldest daughter are members of the
Christian Churcli, and the family is highly regarded

by those who know them. In political sentiment,
Mr. Sippel is a Republican. He takes great interest
in civic societies, and is an influential member of
several lodge organizations, including the Masonic,
the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the
Grand Arni3- Post. His membership is with Clin-
ton Lodge, No. 15, A. F. A- A. M.; Jefferson Lodge,
No. 4, I. O. O. F. ; Forest City Lodge, No. 37, K.
of P.; and George Strong Post, No. 19, G. A. R.

-^

AVID WALLACE TEMPLETON, a grain
dealer of F'airfleld, claims Ohio as the State
j!*^ of his nativity, his birth having occurred in
Fayette County, on the 6th of February, 1828.
The family is originally of Scotch origin, but the
grandfather of our subject, David Tcmplelon, was
born in the North of Ireland, and when a lad of
nine years accompanied his parents to America,
locating in Chester County, Pa. He aided his
adopted country in her struggle for Independence,
and afterward became a resident of Washington
County, Pa., whence he removed to Fayette
County, Ohio. Robert R. Templeton, the father of
David Wallace, was born in Washington County,
Pa., in 1794, and at the age of eighteen years we
lind %im in the Buckeye State, where he became
acquainted with and married Miss Jane Beattj-, a
native of Northumberland County, Pa. Her birth
occurred in the same year in which her husband
W.1S born, and during her girlhood she accompa-
nied her parents to P'airfield County, Ohio. After
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Templeton made a
location in Fayette County, Ohio, and there lived
during tlie remainder of their lives. He was an in-
dustrious and enterprising man, and in the Buckeye
State developed and improved an excellent farm.
In his political affiliations he was first a Whig, later
a Free-soiler, and on the organization of the Repub-
lican party he joined its ranks. Both he and his
wife were members of the Presbyterian Church.
The husband died in 1882, having survived Mrs.
Templeton eleven years. Of their family of eight
children, which numbered four sons and four

222

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

daughters, the sons and one daughter, are .yet liv-
ing— John B., a farmer of Kansas; Robert R.,wlio
is engaged in agricultuial pursuits in Nebraslia;
James C, who is similarly employed in Ohio; and
Eliza J., wife of J. C. IMcCoy, of AVashington,
Iowa.

David W. Temple ton was the fourth in order of
birth in the family. He received such opportuni-
ties as were afforded farmer lads of that day, ac-
quiring his primar}'' education in the common
schools, which he supplemented, after reacliing
manhood, by a course of stud}' in Greenfield, Ohio.
He remained at home and assisted his father in the
labors of the farm until ho had attained to mature
years, when he started out in life for himself, de-
voting his time and attention to farm work in the
summer months and to school-teaching in the winter
season. On the 10th of March, 18.58, he was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Lucas, who was
born in Highland County, Ohio, Noveniber 6,
18-S3. Her paternal grandfather, Isaac Lucas, was
a prominent citizen both of Massachusetts and
Ohio. From Plymouth, Mass, accomp.anied bj^
Gen. Putnam, he made iiis waj- to the Buckeye
State and became one of the first settlers of Ma-
rietta. His son Ezra, the father of Mrs. Templeton,
born about 1789, was the first white child born in
the State, unless we except some Moravian mis-
sionaries. This people have been noted for their
loyally to the Government. The grandfather was
a patriotic soldier of the Revolutionar}' War,
and his discharge bears the handwriting of Gen.
Washington, while the fatlier enlisted and served
in the War of 1812. He was a farmer by occupa-
tion, and married Miss McKinzie, and they became
the parents of twelve children, eleven of whom
grew to mature years.

Mr. and Mrs. Temjileton began their domestic
life in Fayette County, Ohio, where they made
their home for two years, when, in 18G0, Ihe.y
came to Jefferson County, Iowa, arriving on the
1st of March. Purchasing a farm of one hundred
and fort}' acres, he engaged in its cultivation for
five years, when he came to Fairfield and emliarked
in the grain business in a small way. Meeting
with success in his undertaking, he was at length
enabled in 1871 to erect the first elevator of the

city, which was built near the Q depot at a cost
of about 85, .500. Five years later he built the ele-
vator now owned b}' Mr. Jordan, the cost of con-
struction being the same .as that of tlie otiier. In
1871) lie began operations on the Rock Island Rail-
road, where a small elevator stood, but increased
business soon demaniled enlarged facilities, and
tearing down the same, he erected an elevator at
a cost of -$4, .500 with storage capacitj' for twenty-
tive thousand bushels of small grain and twenty
thousand bushels of corn.

Mr. Templeton ranks among the substantial and
representative business men of the county. He
began life with limited capital, but by the exercise
of such talents as were given liim, he has made his
career a prosperous one and is now doing a flour-
ishing business, receiving a handsome income as
the result of his efforts.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Templeton were born four
sons, but three of the number died in eail}' chil-
hood. The onl}' survivor is John E., an emplo3'e
of A. M. Henderson, a commission merchant of
Chicago. Both parents are members of the Con-
gregational Church, and in his social relations, Mr.
Templeton is a member of the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. He cast his first Presidential
vote for Johii P. Hale, and on the organization
of the Republican party joined its ranks and has
since continued to fight under its banner.

^ANIEL MENDENHALL, an honored pio.
neer of Fairfield, Jefferson Count}-, now
deceased, was born in Guilford County, N.
C, December 12, 1819, and died at his home in
this city, on the 9th of November, 1873, respected
by all who knew him. During his youth he re-
moved from his native State to Indiana, where on
the 23d of August, 1841, he was united in marriage
with Miss .Sussannah Pierce, a native of that State,
and a daughter of John and Anna Pierce,of Wayne
County.

The succeeding year Mr. Mendenhall came with
his young wife to Iowa with the hope of betteiing

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

223

his financial conflition and providing a comfortable
home fur lumself and family. He chose Fairfield as
the scene of his operations and in a little log house
which marked the site upon which the Presbyterian
Church now stands, he began life on the western
prairies. He was a gunsmith by trade and for a
number of years did an extensive business in that
line, as his services were much in demand in the
early days when guns were needed to procure the
wild game which would furnish a meal, or for de-
fense against wild animals, such as wolves, etc.,
which were still seen in the neighborhood. His
guns gained for him a wide reputation which ex-
tended even as far west as California. During the
period that lie worked at his trade, Mr. Menden-
hall also speculated in wild lands and in that way
accumulated some capital. On abandoning his
chosen occupation, he engaged in the commission
business on the line of what was then called the
Burlington A' Mississippi Railroad, now the Chi-
cago, Burlington & (Juincy. He established com-
mission houses at Fairfield, Ottumwa and other
stations and also along the line of the Des Moines
Valley Railroad, now a part of the Rock Island &
Pacific Railroad. Later he was connected with the
First National Bank as its Vice-President.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Mendenhall consisted
of eight children, three sons and five daughters as
follows: Esther A., born November 22, 1842, is
the wife of C. F. George of Fairfield; Sarah J., now
Mrs. C. C. Morris of Fairfield, was born January 17,
1845; Lewis, born February 20, 1849, isaminister
of the Free i\Iethodist Church and resides in Fair-
field; William, born .lanuarj' 8. 1852, died at the age
of four years; ;\Iary E.,born August 15, 1855, is the
deceased wife of J. C. Mount; Annie, born May 15,
1859,is the wife of Rev. F. E. Hall of Kcokuk,Iowa;
Laura, born August 31, 18G2, died at the age of
seventeen years, and one son died in early infancy.

Mr. Mendenhall was a life-long Democrat and
held some minor offices of public trust. In early
life he was converted and joined the Methodist
Episcopal Church, with which he retained member-
ship until a short time prior to his death, when he
united with the Free Methodist Church. Industry
and energy were among his marked characteristics
and in consequence he was quite successful in his

business career. He believed that work was the
golden key which unlocked the door to the fortress
of success and therefore was never idle. I'pright
and honorable in .all his dealings, he took no undue
advantages but paid to all their just dues and ex-
pected like treatment in return. However his
course was so open and above board lliat he won the
confidence and esteem of all. He never had any
litigation but always managed to avoid law suits
and business complications. He gave largely of
his means to churches, colleges and public enter-
prises and being a practical yet progressive man, his
opinions in such matters carried great weight with
them.

ETER NESBIT WOODS, M. D., deceased,
was one of the honored earl}' settlers of Jef-
ferson County, and one of her ablest physi-
cians. His friends were many, his enemies
few and therefore we know that a record of his life
will be of interest to the readers of this Album. He
was the fifth child in a family of eight children
liorn unto .lames and Hester A. ( Blake) Woods, and
his birth occurred in Greenville, .Stark County,
Ohio, on the 8th of September, 1829. His paternal
great-grandfather emigrated from his native land,
(lermany, to America when a 3'oath and during his
early life settled in Harrisburg, Pa. His father,
James Woods, was left an orphan at an early age
and reared by his paternal grandfather. His trade
was that of a gunsmith, to which he served a term
of apprenticeship, but during the latter years of
his life he devoted his attention to farming.

Dr. Woods, the subject ()f this sketch, was reared
to manhood under the parental roof but at the age
of eighteen 3'ears left home to complete his educa-
tion. Bj' teaching he made his way through the
Vermillion Institute of Hayesville, Ohio, aud the
year 1850-51, he spent as a student in the Ohio
Wesleyan LTniversity. Having made choice of the
medical profession as a business which he believed
would prove both profitable and pleasant, he en-
tered the office of Dr. O. J. Rotsel, of Rome, Rich-

224

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

land Countj', where he remained three years, and in
1854, was frradiiated from the Eclectic School of
Medicine, in Cincinnati. Ohio. For one year he
engaged in practice as a partner of his preceptor
who then retired, leaving the Inisiness in his charge.

On tlie 14th of September, 1855, Dr. Woods was
joined in wedlock with Miss Mary, (daughter of
John and JIary (Graham) Wolph, both of whom
were natives of Pennsylvania, although in early
life they emigrated to Tuscarawa.s County, Ohio,
and later in life went to Nebraska, where the death
of Mr. Wolph occurred at the age of sixty-six
years, his wife departing this life at the age of
eighty-three years. Mrs. AYoods was the eighth in
a family- of ten children and her Iiirth occurred in
Richland County, Ohio, November 10, 1832.

The Doctor and his wife in JNIay, 1856, landed in
Fairfleld and from that time until his death he had
an extensive practice in the city and vicinity. In
1861 he was appointed Medical Examiner of Jef-
ferson Country, under the direction of tlie War De-
partment and in September, 1H62. was commissioned
Surgeon of the Twenty-third Iowa Infantrj^; but to
accommodate a friend of the Colonel of that regi-
ment he took the same position in the Thirty-ninth
Iowa Infantrj', and was with his command during
the battles of Jackson. Parker's Cross Roads, Tus-
cnmbia, Bear Creek and Town Creek. In the win-
ter of 1863, he was made Surgeon-in-Chief of his
division with headquarters in Pulaski, Tenn. He
accompanied Sl)erman to Atlanta, and in J\i\y, 1864,
was made Surgeon of the Division Hospital, in
Rome, Ga., having the care of the wounded after
the battle of Altoona. He then accompanied the
forces of Sherman on the celebrated JIarch to the
Sea and at Savannah, Ga., was put in charge of a
branch of the general hospital. After being re-
lieved from that position he was ordered to Blair's
Landing at Buford, S. C, and made Surgeon-iu-
Chief of Gen. Sherman's division, in which capa-
city he served until the army was disbanded at
Raleigh, N. C. In June, 1805, he was mustered
out of service, having discharged his duty most
faithfully.

No citizen of Fairfleld has taken a more active
interest in her ailvancement and [n-ogress than did
Dr. Woods. Whatever call of a public nature was

made to him, if it was a worthy object, he gave of
,Lis time and means unsparingly. Soon after his
return from the army he and a brother built the
Fairfield Woolen Mills, and he held the position of
Chairman of the Building Committee under whose
direction the Union Schoolhouse was erected. Ho
was a leading Mason and a Past Grand in Odd
Fellowship. Politically, he was a stanch Republi-
can and both he and his wife were consistent and
faithful members of the Methodist Church. He
was called to the home beyond, on the lOtli of
March, 1886. As a physician, he stood at the
head of his profession and as a citizen and friend,
he won the highest esteem.

His wife and two sons. Dr. Harry E. and George
C, com|)ose his family. The former was born five
miles east of Fairfleld. on the 30th of April, 1857.
After attending the cit}' schools, he pursued the
classical course in Parsons College, from which he
was graduated in 1880. Thereupon, he commenced
the stud}- of his (jrofessiou with his father and in
February, 1883, he graduated from the Rush IMed-
ical College, of Chicago, and engaged in i)ractice
witli his father until that worthy man was called
from this life. Save about iifteen months spent in
Libert3'ville, he has since continued practicejin this
cit}-. He is a member of the Jefferson County
Medical Society, and in politics is a Re|)ublicau.
Though unostentatious and unassuming. Dr. Woods
is possessed of a decision and firmness of character
that makes him especially fltted^for his profession.

~ p]VI GANTZ, one of the prominent farmers

bof Black IJawk Township, Jefferson County,
residing on section 32, was born in Wash-
ington County, Pa., September 4, 1832, and was
the youngest child in a family of four children,
whose parents were John and Christine (Bruner)
Gantz. His father owned a mill, a distillery and a
faim, all of which were operated under his immedi-
ate supervisio)!. He was a man of great energy
and, possessing a robust constitution, accomplished
a great amount of work. He mot his death in l''-'33

PORTRAET AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

225

by falling through the hatchway in the roof of the
mill. Ilis wife survived liim many years and
aliout 1839, was again married. Her death oc-
curred near the close of tiie late war. The children
of her first marriage were David, who enlisted in
the Thirtieth Iowa Regiment and died in the serv-
ice; Sarah, widow of Edward Van Kirk, of Pcnn-
sylvanin; Samuel, a miller of Washington County,
Pa.; and Levi, of this sketch.

The last named child, our subject, was a babe of
six months when the death of his father occurred.
In his youth he was inured to farm labor and when
a lad of sixteen years he began life for himself as
a farm hand, receiving as a compensation for his
services the me.agre sum of §10 per month. After
working in that capacity for six 3'ears, at the age
of twenty- two, he was united in marriage with Miss
Sarah Pall, a native of Pennsylvania, and the fol-
lowing spring came to Iowa to seek a location for
a home. He entered land in Madison Count}', but
<l<'cided to remain in Pennsylvania, where he soon
afterward purchased a far.m and then sold his Iowa
property. However, in 1858, we again find him
en route for Iowa accompanied by his wife and
children. It was his intention to make a location
in Madison County, but on account of the mud,
traveling was made so dillicult that he stopped in
Jefferson County. After renting land for two or
three years he bought a quarter section in Black
Hawk Township, upon which had been built a frame
house while ninety acres were fenced. Then began
the work of developing and improving a farm, and
as his financial resources were increased, he ex-
tended the boundaries of his land until five hun-
dred acres now pay tribute to his care and
cultivation, and he is recognized as one of the
leading and progressive farmers of the community.
His home, a commodious dwelling valued at -¥3,000
is surrounded by good barns and outbuildings, and
all this splendid success is due to the energy and en-
terprise of a man who started out in life a penniless
boy. In connection with general farming he also
devotes considerable attention to stock-raising,
making a specialty of the breeding of fine cattle,
and his horses are also of good grades.

Unto Jlr. and INIrs. Gantz have been born eight
children — John Andrew, who is now engaged in

farming in Blaci< Hawk Township, Jefferson
County; William, who died at the age of fourteen
years; Annie Jane, wife of P^d Hewitt, of Fairfield
Township; Laura, who graduated from Parsons'
College of Fairfield, and is now a successful teacher
in the county ; Ella, wife of Ed Lyons, a resident
farmer of Black Hawk Township; Ida May, who
com[)leted the preparatory' course in Parsons Col-
lege and is a musician of considerable ability;
James, who died in infancy; and Eflie, who is also
qualified as a teacher. As will have been seen, the
children liave all been provided with good educa-
tional advantages, thus being fitted for the duties
of life and all are now useful members of society
in the various commifnities where the}' make their
homes.

Although a strong advocate of Republican prin-
ciples, Mr. Gantz does not possess that partisan
spirit which so largely predominates in this day.
He has never accepted public office, preferring to
devote his time and attention to his business in-
terests, of which he has made a decided success.
By his fellow-men he is honored and respected as a
citizen and neighbor, and in the social world his
family occupies a high position.

^ —

<* IVILLIAM R. BLOSS, one of the oldest car-
\/\/// P'^"^^'"^ ^" years of experience, in Fairfield,
\j^^ was born in Rockingham County, Va., De-
cember 3, 1822, and claims an almost pure Ger-
manic origin. His parents, Conrad and Margaret
(Reinhardt) Bloss, were both born in the Shenan-
doah Valley, in Virginia, the father in 1797, the
mother in 1805. His maternal grandfather owned
a powder mill, and during the War of 1812, made
powder for the United States troops. About 1828,
Conrad Bloss and wife removed from ^'irginia to
Ohio, locating in Preble County, where he followed
farming until his emigration to Iowa. In 1835, he
made a tour westward, visiting several of the coun-
ties in this State, but making no location. Sixteen
years later he and all his family went to Des Moines
County, improved a farm, ^uid there lived iMitil

226

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

aljoiit 1863, when he cunie lo Fairfiehl, where he
spent his h'lst days. He died at ihe age of eighty,
after suffering eighteen years with rheumatism, tlie
last nine of which lie was entirely helpless. His
wife is still living in Fairfield at the advanced age
of eighty-five years, but is very much enfeebled by
paralysis, of which she lias bad two attacks. Both
were zealous members of the IMetliodist Church for
many years, and it was their daily endeavor to fol-
low in the footsteps of him whom they acknowl-
edged as tl'.eir Saviour. There is a remarkable fact
connected with their family, which consisteil of
eight daughters and three sons, all being yet alive
save the youngest, who died at the age of forty
years.

William R. Bioss is the eldest of the family^ He
was reared to farm life, and as at an early age he
had to aid in the sui)|)ort of his younger brothers
and sisters, he had but little time to devote to edu-
cation. Only a few months was he permitted to
devote to study, and that in the old time subscrip-
tion schools. Like a dutiful sou, he gave his ser-
vices to his father until he had attained to mature
years, when he began work in his own interests.
Learning the carpenter's trade, he worked at the
same for ■'i'.s per month until 1848, when he came
to Iowa, and located a land warrant of the Mexican
War. in Pciin Township, Jefferson County. He then
resumed his labors as a car|)enter, but while en-
gaged in work, by accident he cut his knee, and
was unable to do anything through the winter.
Thoroughly discouraged, he started for Ohio, bid-
ding, as he supposed, an everlasting farewell to
Iowa, but on reaching Ohio, the old State seemed
so rough and uninviting, that he accompanied the
famdy to Des Moines County, in 1851. His tirst
work was to build a house on his father's place, af-
ter which he secured a fair share of the work to be
done in the neighborhood. After four years spent
in Des Moines County-, he came to Fairfield in 18.55,
and has here engaged in carpenter work continu-
ouslj' since. His first labors in this city was to
build the Henn House, now the home of the Prrsi-
dent of Parson's College. He also erected Risk's,
Bright's and Steele's business blocks, and has done
the stair work on some of the finest residences in
the city, being accountetl a superior workman in

that line. He is indeed proficient in ail branches of
the business, and well deserves the trade which is
given him.

In Dps Moines County, in March, 1857, Mr. Bloss
wedded Mrs. Mary Robinson, a native of Ohio. Her
maiden name was Coleby, and by her first marriage
she had one son, Frank Robinson. By her second
union were born four children: F^stella, deceased
wife of A. Kendall; Harry, who isem|)loved on the
railroad; Elizabeth, who died at the age of three
years; and William H., who is employed in the
Fairfield Furniture F'actory. In 1870, the motlier
of this family died, and three years later Mr. liloss
married Miss Mary E. Hayes, a native of Mary-
land. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church,
and Mr. Bloss is a member of the Methodist Church,
to which his first wife also belonged. Since 1886,
he has in connection with his other business, car-
ried on a greenhouse, the best in the city. He has
lived some thirty-five years in Fairfield, where he
has a pleasant home, and is in comfortable circum-
stances. He cast his first Presidential vote for ^'an
Buren, and coii^inued to support the Democratic
party until 1884. since which time he has voted
with the Prohibition party.

'*t->^

^^^^S^^^i^^^f^^^-

>;, AVID II. STEVE R, M. D., one of the oldest
practicing physicians now in Fairfield, Jef-
(^JJ^ ferson County, was born near this city,
September 16, 1845, and is a son of Adam
and Elizabeth (Parks) Stever. The family is of
German origin. The paternal grandparents of our
subject were founders of the family in this country.
Emigrating from Germany, they settled in Berks
County, Pa., where the husband engaged in farm-
ing. On that old homestead Adam Stever was
born. In his youth he learned the gunsmith's trade,
which he followed during tlie greater part of his
life, though he also carried on farming. In the
family is |:)reserved a rifle that he made, a sample
of his workmanship. With his [larents he removed
to Huntingdon County. Pa., where he became ac-
quainted with and wedded Miss Parks, a native of

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

227

Maryland, born on tlie 3d of August, 1803. Her
father was of German descent, and her mother of

^ .Suotch origin. In an early day, her family also be-
came residents of Huntingdon County, Pa. In 1 84 1,
the Doctor's parents, with the view of bettering
their financial condition, came to the West, and se-
lecting Jefferson County. Iowa, as a favorable lo-
cation, entered land a mile west of Fairfield. l!|)on
that farm, Mr. Stever resided until his death, which
occurred in the month of August, 1858. He was a

* successful farmer, and succeeded in acquiring four
hundred and twenty acres of land which paid to
him a golden tribute for the care and labor he be-
stowed upon it. Politically, he was a Whig, but,
though he felt an interest in the success of the partj-,
never aspired to oflicial positions. He was an ac-
tive worker in the Lutheran Church, as is also his
wife, who still survives him. Although she has at-
tained the advanced age of eighty-seven years, she
is in full possession of her faculties. Her own fam-
ily consisted of twelve ciiildren, five sons and seven
daughters, of whom ten are now living, one son
and one daughter having departed this life, and in
addition she lias tenderly reared ten orphan chil-
dren. Her motherly heart went out in sympathy
to the friendless little ones, and she has made a
lasting record as a benefactor. Long after she will
have passed away, her memory will he tenderly
cherished, and her deeds of kindness held in loving
remembrance.

The Doctor was the youngest of the family, and
is the only one that was born in Jefferson County.
His early life was spent in the usual manner of f.ir-
nier lads, and after attending the common schools,
he pursued a two years' course in Fairfield College,
then under the management of Rev. Andrew Ax-
line, an able educator, and preacher. His literary
education being completed, he read medicine with
Dr. P. N. Woods, of Fairfield for three years, and
then took three courses of lectures at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Keokuk, Iowa, gradu-
ating from the institution in the Class of '76.
Thereupon, he opened an office in Fairfield, and,
in contradiction to the old saying that one must
leave home in order to make a success in life, he
has enjoj'ed an extensive and lucrative practice
since. He has embrsced the opportunities offered

by the several medical societies, of coming in con-
tact with the ablest minds of the profession, being
a member of the Jefferson County, of the Des
Moines Valley, and of the .State Medical Societies.
He does a general practice, but is making a special
stnd}^ of diseases of children. Three students are
now reading under his direction.

On tlie 7th of December, 1879, the Doctor was
united in marriage with Miss H. AUieShaw, daugh-
ter of Enos 15. Shaw, a prominent farmer of Jeffer-
son County. Mrs. Stever was born in Iowa County,
Iowa, November 11, 185.5, and like her husband, is
held in high esteem throughout the community.
Politically, Dr. Stever is a Republican, with strong
prohibition principles, and is a member of the Luth-
eran Church.

• . OOP .

OHN P. STAATS, one of the early settlers
of Jefferson County, residing on section 1.
Black Hawk Township, traces his ancestry
back through several generations to Peter
Staats, of Holland, who in Colonial days left his na-
tive land and crossed the Atlantic to America, set-
tling in New Jersey, where he engaged in farming.
His son, Peter Jr., enlisted as a private in the Revo-
lutionary War, but ere the close of the struggle had
been promoted to the rank of Captain for merito-
rious conduct. He participated in the hard fought
battle of Monmouth. His son, Peter P. Staats,
who became the father of our suliject, was born in
New Jersey, acquired a good commercial education
and in the early years of his manhood engaged in
the mercantile business in Western New York. On
the 7th of September, 1809, he married Miss Cath-
erine Voorliees, of New Jersey, who was of Dutch
descent. He afterwards laid aside mercantile pur-
suit* and eng.iged in farming until old age caused
him to lay aside the more arduous duties of life,
which were then taken up by his son John, who
operated the farm for his father for some years.
In 1839, Peter Staats removed with his familj' to
Jersey County, 111., where lie purchased a farm
which his sons managed and which continued to be
his home until his death, which occurred in 1871.

228

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

He barl survived his wife several years. Both
were members of the Dutch Reformed Church. In
politics he was a stanch Democrat, taking an active
part in political work and for a number of years
served as Justice of the Peace. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Staats were born five children: John P.. of this
sketch: Abrara, now deceased; James M., an Illi-
nois farmer, who died in 1883; Susan, deceased i
wife of James Quick; and Peter A., a farmer of j
Texas.

John P. .Staats, whose name heads this sketch,
was born on the 19th of November, 1813, in New
Jerse3% and in his youth received an academic edu-
cation. Although reared to agricultural pursuits,
he fitted himself for a seafaring life and obtained
a midshipman's commission, but when he was about
rea<ly to sail, an uncle of his met his death on the
ocean, which accident aroused the fears of his par-
ents who induced him to give up his clienshed
plan. He then remained at home until November
11. 1833, when he was united in marriage with
iMiss Maria Barcalow of New Jersey. The young
couple began their domestic life upon a rented
farm, but after a year he purchased land in his na-
tive State and engaged in its cultivation until 1838,
when disposing of his interests in New Jersey, he
emigrated to Illinois, investing his capital in land
patents. By an act of legislation these patents
aflerwards became worthless and he lost almost
everything. He bought land for $3 per acre and
continued his residence in Illinois until 1853, when
he crossed the Father of Waters into the new State
of Iowa and made a location in Jefferson County.
For thirty-seven 3'ears he has made his home on
section 1, Black Hawk Township. On his arrival
he purchased eighty-seven and one-half acres of land
from which he developed a good farm, devoting
himself to its cultivation until within a few years
past, since which time he has lived a retired life,
his son operating the homestead. Mr. Staats may
truly be called a self-made man. He began life
with no capital save a young man's bright hope of
the future, yet to-day is numbered among the sub-
stantial citizens of the community. Industry and
thrift were the means used to accomplish that end
and without which success can never be attained.

During the residence of the family in Illinois,

Mrs. Staats was called to her final home, leaving
seven children, the eldest of whom, Catherine, is
now the widow of Daniel Lee, of Adair County,
Iowa; Clara is the wife of Fred Funston, of Rich-
land; Farriugton B. is a farmer of Missouri;
Theresa is the wife of Jason Squires, of Des Moines;
Susan wedded James W. Donovan, contractor of
the capital city; George makes his home in Black
Hawk Township; Voorhees is living near Ft. Scott,
Kan. Mr. Staats was a second time married, in
Iowa, in November, 1854. when ho became the*
husband of Mrs. Agnes Bonser. By her former
marriage the lady had two daughters, Laura and
Orpha and by the present marriage three children
were born: Chester L., at home; Agnes M., wife of
William Hicks, of Washington County, Iowa; and
John, who is employed as telegraph operator on the
Rock Island Railroad and is now in Colorado.

Mrs. Staats is a member of the Baptist Church
and Mr. Staats contributes liberally to its support,
as he does to other charitable and benevolent in-
terests. On attaining his majority, he cast his first
Presidential ballot for Andrew Jackson and voted
with the Democratic i)arty until the question of
slavery became an issue, when, in the election of
1856, he supported Fremont. He then continued
his connection with the Republican party until
President Grant's second election, when he once
more joined the ranks of the Democracy, of which
he has ever since been a stalwart advocate. He has
attende.l conventions of his party and has served
as Township Trustee and in other minor offices.

■SHERRY KING is a grocer of Fairfie.d, Iowa.
Jl) He carries a general line of groceries, pro-
^ visions and crocker3', and since he cstab-
l\ lished business in 1880, his trade has steadily
increased until he has become one of the leading
merchants of the place. Mr. King was born on the
•2Gth of May, 1844, in Highland County, Ohio,
and is the twelfth in a family of thirteen children,
whose parents were Morris and Susannah King.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

229

His father, a native of New .Teisey. diediii 1851
when our subject was a lad of six 3ears. He mar-
ried Susannah Landes, who was born in North Caro-
lina in March, 1802. During her childhood she
removed thence to Kentucijy and when a maiden of
twelve summers, accompanieii iier family to Ohio,
where she is still living at the advanced age of
eighty-eight years. She still enjoys a fair degree
of health and, in 1889, made a visit from Ohio to
Mr. King in' Fairfiehl. The family is wortliy of
special mention for various reasons. It consisted
of six sous and seven daughters, all of whom lived
to mature years and were married. None of the
sons ever used whiskey or tobacco, three of the
number wore the blue in th.e late war. one was
killed in Missouri by deserters from the Union
army during the war, one is a farmer in O'Brien
County, Iowa, and the other was a teacher of prom-
inence, and died in Fairlield while visiting friends
in that place.

We now turn to the personal history of our sub-
ject which we feel will he received with interest
by many of our readers. As before stated, he is a
native of Ohio and, in the common and select
schools of the Buckeye State, he acquired his edu-
cation. At the earl}' age of sixteen j'ears he began
teaching and followed that profession continuously
for a fifth of a centur\-, or until his removal to
Fairfield in 1880. It seems almost unnecessary to
say that he met with success in this line as his long
continued service plainly indicates that fact. .Tust
prior to his removal to Iowa he was the i)rinci))al
of the Lynchburg schools of Highhind County,
Ohio, his native county. His labors as an instructor
were only once interrupted, and that, when he was
engaged in his country's service. He served for
one month in the State Militia of Ohio, and then
enlisted on the 2d of INIay, 1864, in Company B.
of the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Ohio In-
fantry, in which he served until the 8th of
September following. At Cynthiana, Ky., seven
companies of the regiment were captured, but our
subject succeeded in making his escape.

Mr. King was married in Highland County.
Ohio, May 4, 1865, to INIiss Phcebe Ann Berry, a
native of that county and a daughter of John
Berry. Their union is blessed with five children,

two sons and three daughters, all of whom were
born in Highland County, Ohio. In the order of
birth they are as follows: Emma Edna, Mar}-
Ellen, Liua C, Wirt B. and Lee A. The three
daughters are graduates of tlie Fairfield Union
School, and Elmma E. and Mary E. are now
students in Parsons College of F^airfteld. The
mother died on the 4th of October, 1889. She was
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and
her loss was felt by many outside of her immediate
family.

In politics. Mr. King is a Repul)lican and is a
man well informed on all matters of general in-
terest, both jjolitical and otherwise. He takes an
active interest in the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and belongs to Jefferson Lodge, No. 4, of
Fairfield. He has twice been sent as representative
to the C4rand Lodge and is President of the South-
eastern Association, I. O. O. F., comprising six
counties. He takes a lively interest in educational
affairs, has been President of the Fairfield School
Board for three 3'ears. and for five years has been
connected with the library, and is serving as Presi-
dent pro tem. of the same during the absence of
Senator James F. Wilson.

-^^

E^^

AMES M. IIINKLE of the law firm of
Wilson & Hinkle, of Fairfield, and Mayor
of the cit}', is a native of Indiana. His
father was born in Jackson County, that
State, and his mother, whose maiden name was
Nancy Daj', was a native of Mississippi. The
fannly came to Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1853,
and settled in Round Prairie Township, where Mr.
Hinkle. Sr. engaged in farming until 1887, when,
retiring to private life, he became a resident of
Fairfield. The following year he was called upon
to mourn the less of his wife who died on the 8th
of December. In 1888, he removed to Waj'ne
County, Mo., where he is now living.

The subject of this sketch was born in Jackson
County, Ind., Decend)er 21, 1852, and was there-

230

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

fore but a small child when brought by bis parents
to Iowa. Thus we see that almost his entire life
has been spent in .Tefferson County. Many of his
fellow citizens have known him from boyiiood, iiave
witnessed the progress wliicli he has made, and be-
coming familiar with his merits and ability tlu^y
have honored him with tlie liigliest office within
tlieir power. His education was acquired at Fair-
field University and Parsons College, and on the
completion of his school life he engaged in teach-
ing. In fact, he began his career as a teacher at
tlie early age of sixteen years and continued tliat
line of work for sixteen terms with most excellent
success, during which time lie has occupied a num-
ber of important positions. With the desire of
engaslng in law practice, after the duties of the
scliool room were over, he devoted his time to the
perusal of text books on that subject, his reading
being directed b}' Messrs. Wilson ct Rutherford,
witli whom he remained two years. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1879 and soon afterwards
formed the existing partnership with Mr. Wilson.
Two years later he was admitted to practice in the
Supreme Courts of Iowa and in 1887 to the P"ed-
eral Courts.

Mr. Hinkle, in Fairfield, on tlie 31st of October,
1882, was united in marriage with Miss Alma Belle
Young, a daughter of William Young, aud a native of
Jefferson County. Herparents, emigrating from Indi-
ana, settled in Jefferson County in an early da3-.
Two children have been born of their union, Clara
Dell and Fred Raymond.

In the spring of 1887 on receiving the election
returns, it was found that Mr. Hinkle was elected
to the office of Mayor of Fairfield by a handsome
majority, and so well pleased were the people with
his administration, that on his renomination in 1889
only seven votes were cast against him and he will
therefore continue to hold the office until 1891.
Socially, he is a member of Clinton Lodge, No. 15,
A. F. & A. M.; Jefferson Lodge, No. 4. 1. O. O. F.;
Forest City Lodge, No. 37, K. P.; Fairfield Camp,
No. 146, M. W. A.; and Fairfield Lodge, No. ir2,
A. O. U. W. It will thus be seen from the fnct
that he is connected with so many organizations,
that Mr. Hinkle is greatly interested in civic socie-
ties and in the orders with which he holds member-

ship he has held many important positions. Mr.
Hinkle has made a very popular mayor and the city
of Fairfield has been niateriall}' improved, finan-
cially and otherwise, under his administration of
the office. The fact that only seven votes were
cast against him at the last election, speaks volumes
as to public sentiment and is a compliment to his
popularity of which he may well be proud. The
law firm of whicli he is a member, is one of the live
law firms of the State and has already won promi-
nence in the ranks of the profession.

APT. BENJAMIN F. CRAIL. Of the
representative men of Jefferson County
'^' none are more woithy of mention in this
volume tlian the soldier and citizen, Capt. Crail.
His paternal grandfather, one of the sturd3' farmers
of Maryland, served as an officer in the Revolution-
ary War. Having emigiated to Pennsylvania he
died at the advanced age of ninety-three 3'ears.
The father of our subject, whose name was also
Benjamin, was born in Beaver County, Pa., in 1793,
and in his youth was apprenticed to one DeHaven,
to learn the millwright's trade, but on the breaking
out of the War of 1812, he ran away and enlisted
in the armj'. On the cessation of hostilities, when
peace was declared, he returned to his native State
and there married Nancy Dougherty, by whom he
had ten children, five sons and five daughters. The
former all became ship carpenters. The father died
in 1846, and subsequently the mother removed to
Winterset, Iowa, where she passed away at the ripe
old age of eighty-eight years. Both were zealous
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and
desirous that their children should embrace that
faith, taught them lessons of piety and honesty.
Though himself not an educated man Mr. Crail
clearly saw the advantages of education aud built
a schoolhouse near his home in order that ids chil-
dren might have the best ])ossible advantages.

Capt. Crail, whose name heads this sketch, was
the fifth child of the family. He was born in Beaver

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

231

County, Pa., March 19, 1831, and after attending
select scliools took a course in a business college of
Pittsburg, Pa. ~ At the age of seventeen years he
engaged with an uncle in Freedom, Pa., to learn
the ship carpenter's trade, working for him about
two years. He then're|)Mired to McKeysport, where
a ship was being built that was to sail to Califor-
nia. Full of the youthful spirit of adventure he
wished to sail with the crew, but through ihe per-
suasion of his mother heVas restrained from doing
so. He worked at his trade in the principal towns
along tiie Ohio River and spent the years of 18.50
and 1851, in the navy yard in Memphis. Tenn. Re-
turning to the North, he and a brother took a boat-
load of merchandise down the river, trading as the}-
went, to Shawneetown, 111., where they sold out.

Capt. Crail was married in 1852, to Miss Char-
lotte McCaskey, a native of Washington County,
Pa., after which he removed with his bride to New
Cumberland, Va., where he started a boat-yard
which he]ran some four years, after which he estab-
lished a yard in his native town. Me constructed
a keel boat and ran it over the rapids when the
water was too low for steamlioats to pass over.
While operating his boat 3'ard he was also engaged
as carpenter on board a vessel and served as mate.
In April, 1859, Capt. Crail sent his wife by rail to
Fairfield, Iowa, while he made the trip by water.
The following year he drove an ox-team to Pike's
Peak, returning just in time to vote for President
Lincoln, and until the breaking out of the war he
served as <lepiity recorder under J. A. McKeme}'.

On the 13th of August, 1861, Mr. Crail enlisted
as private of Company F, Third Iowa Cavalry.
Keokuk was the rendezvous. Toward the close of
the month, the Captain of Company F, was sent
with a squad of men to capture some rebels at
Alexandria, Mo., and in charging across a field fell
over some obstacle. Left without a commander
private Crail led the charge, and was successful
in capturing the enemy. On account of the valor
displayed on this occasion he was soon after elected
and commissioned First Lieutenant.

Having spent some time in Benton Barricks, the
forces were ordered into the field December 12, 186 1.
The winter was spent in capturing ammunition,
supplies, and in dispersing rebels. On Ainil 1, 18G2,

Lieut. Crail was promoted to the captaincy of bis
cora()any, and at Botts' Farm, Callovvay County,
Mo., while engaged in battle, he was twice wounded,
one slug striking him in the chest ranged ^downward
into the integuments of his stomach where it re-
mained fifty-two days, taking him almost to death's
door; the other he still carries. After five months
of careful nursing he was able to resume command.
The year 1862, and a part of 1863, was fspent in
lighting guerrillas. His command was ^engaged
with Marmaduke near Pilot Knob, some three or
four days or until he crossed the .St. Francis River,
and on July 1, 1863, the Third Iowa started for
Little Rock, fighting as they went. After the cap-
ture of the city, Capt. Crail was assigned to a posi-
tion at Benton, Ark., and participated in two raids
which resulted in the capture of Arkadelphia and
Hot Springs. Returning to Little Rock, he veteran-
ized in .January, 1864, after which he spent a
mouth at his home in Fairfield. Repairing to .St.
Louis, preparations were made to go by boat to
Memphis, but just before the dejiarture trouble
arose between some of the soldiers and a private
citizen. The city police pursued the soldiers to the
boatand were goingaboard to arrest them, but at
this juncture Capt. Crail came on the scene. Learn-
ing the trouble, he told the police it would l)e im-
possible for them to arrest the guilty parties in the
presence of their comrades, but that he would have
them arrested and taken ashore for trial. Instead
of receiving the courteous treatment which he de-
served, a policeman struck at him with his club but
the blow was fortunately warded off. For a few
minutes policemen fell like ripe .Tune apples in a
gale and it was only by the coolness and decision of
Capt. Crail, that a bloody riot was averted. From
Memphis the forces were ordered to West Tennes-
see and Northern Mississippi, and skirmished over a
stretch of one hundred and ten miles during which
they i)articipated in the battles of Ripley and Gun-
town. For three daj's and nights, Capt. Crail was
not out of his saddle for sleep or rest. He was in
the two days figlit at Tupelo, and also took part in
the G.rlerson Raid through Mississippi, where from
December 21, until January 5, fighting was an
every day business. Having been sent to take five
hundred prisoners to Cairo, 111., Capt. Crail went

232

PORTRAIT AND BIOURAFHICAL ALBUM.

on with his conipanj' to Louisville, Kj'.. where

they received a fresh supply of horses and went on
to participate in the brilliant raid of Gen. Wilson.
Our Captain, in command of two companies, started
two days in advance of the army. Skirmishes were
frequent but he was successful in sweeping the
enemy before him. Having crossed a bridge on
Mohen Creek, the rebels made a desperate effort to
hold the bridge and in the struggle Capt. Crail had
his right arm shattered near the shoulder and was
taken in an ambulance to Selma, Ala. Thus glori-
ously ended his military career. He was mustered
out August 9, 1865, at Atlanta, Ga., and discharged
on the 23d of the same month, at Davenport, Iowa.
Many of the above facts were gleaned from the
Adjutant-General's report.

In August, 1873, Capt. Crail was called upon to
mourn the k)SS of his wife, who left six children:
James B., a merchant of Washington. Iowa; Wil-
liam II., who is agent on the California Southern
Railroad; Susan S.. wife of E. W. Steele; Robert
M., who is connected with a hotel at Junction Cit}',
Kas.; David E., who runs a dairy in Fairfield, and
Frank A. On March 5, 1877, the Captain wedded
Mrs. Steele, whose maiden name was Nancy S. Mc-
Cracken, and unto them have been born twin boys,
Joe S. and Charles S., who are as near alike as the
Antipholuses in Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors."

Captain Crail is a Republican in politics and
both he and his wife are members of the Christian
Church. He was Deputj' Surveyor under Isaac
Crumly and Jndge P'ulton, served as Deputy
Sheriff several terms, and since 1883, has been Sur-
veyor of the county proving an able and efficient
officer.

C. BARKER, who resides on section 4,
liM AVashington Township, is a representative
[/ l!) of one of the pioneer families of Van Buren
County, his parents being Joseph and Anna
(Manchester) Barker, whose sketch appears on an-
other page of this work. He vvas born on the old
homestead, where he still resides, March 18, 1842,

and the days of his boyhood and youth were spent
in the usual manner of farmer lads. After attend-
ing the district schools of the neighborhood, at the
age of nineteen j-ears he responded to his country's
call for troops, enlisting in the United States service
as a member of Company H. Third Iowa Cavalry,
under Capt. Jesse Hughes in September, 1861. He
was mustered in at Keokuk and the regiment was
assigned to the Third Army Corps, in the Armj' of
the Tennessee. His company being detailed to
skirmish duty made several raids through Northern
Missouri, at one time captuiing one hundred and
seventy-two kegs of powder and at another, five
hundred kegs of the same article. They spent the
first winter in Mexico, Mo. Afterwards Mr. Barker
participated in the battle of Moore's Mills, where
he received a gun shot wound through the left jaw
which unfitted him for duty for two weeks. On re-
joining his command he participated in the battle
of Little Rock, Ark., and Gunlown, Miss. At the
latter place he was dismounted by his horse giving
out and made a forced march on foot to White
Station, Tenn., a distance of sixty miles which he
covered in ten hours. He was also with the Wilson
raid through Tennessee and Alabama, and was mus-
tered out in Atlanta, Ga., on the 9th of August,
1865. after four years of faithful service on South-
ein battle fields.

Returning home at the close of the war Mr. Bar-
ker purchased one hundred and eighty acres of land
and engaged in agricultural pursuits. His boyhood
training had fitted him for his chosen occupation
and with the passage of time his possessions have
been increased until he is now the owner of a fine
farm of three hundred and forty-seven acres — a
portion of the old homestead. The entire amount
is under a good state of cultivation and well im-
proved, and the owner takes rank among the en-
terprising agriculturists of the community.

As a companion on life's journov Mr. Barker
chose Miss Martha M. Van Eman, their union being
celebrated on the 2d of February, 1871. Her father.
Rev. George Van Eman, was born in AVashington
County, Pa., January 29, 1823, and her mother,
whose maiden name was Elizabeth Poage, is a na-
tive of Pocahontas Count}', Va. Both parents are
still living at this writing in 1890, and make their

I THE NEW YORK ,
PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR. LENOX

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'//u,/A tm.

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

235

home in Vernon, Tex., where Mr. Van Eman has
charge of a church. Mrs. Barker was boru in
Missouri, Decewlicr 3, 18.52. She vvas the second
in a famil}' of seven chihlren as follows: Ella, now
deceased ; James A., a resident of Wilburger, Tex.;
Mrs. Mary R. Gray, of St. PmuI, Neb.; Josoph.
who is living in the Lone Star State ; Edward E., of
Baltimore, Md.; and Mrs. Stella Hicks, of Texas.
The Barker family consists of eigiit children as fol-
lows: George v., born December 29, 1871; Jolin
H., September 8, 1873; Man^l O., July 31, 187u;
Nellie, November 22, 1876; William R., May 18,
1878; Josie E., August 6, 1880; A. C, June 1.'),
1883; and Manchester, August 12, 1886. Mr. and
Mrs. Barker and their four older children are mem-
bers of the Presbyterian C'luirch of Mt. Zion, in
which tiie father holds tlie office of Elder. He con-
tributes liberally to the support of church and
charitable institutions and all laudable enterprises,
feeling a deep interest in anything which pertains
to the welfare of the community. In politics he is
a supporter of Republican principles.

„. : sg^Jii^e

RS. ELLIS WOODS, who is familiarly called
"Aunty" Woods, and is thus better known
to the citizens of the community, is one
of Jefferson County's most honored pio-
neers. She was born on the banks of Lake Cham-
plain, in (ieorgia, Chittenden Count}-, Vt., Septem-
ber 28, 1813, and is the youngest of five children
born to Julius and Hettie (Cassel) Owen. Her
father was a native of Salisbury, Conn., and an
uncle of the noted Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary
fame. Her family' was of Welsh origin and de-
scended from one of two brothers who came to
America during Colonial days, and who took an
active part in the War for Independence. Her
grandfather, Owen, was a man of remarkable lon-
gevity, having lived to past the centurj' mile post.
The father emigrated from Connecticut to Ver-
mont, where he mnriied l\liss Cassel, a lady of
French origin, her people having come to this

country with Gen. LaFayette. She died in Ver-
mont, and the husband married again. Patriotic
blood flowed in his veins, and following the example
of his illustrious IJevolutionary ancestors, he served
in tlie War of 1812. Having removed westward to
Harvard, 111., he tiiere spent his last da^ys, attain-
ing almost the age of one hundred j'ears. Of his
children only two are now living — Mrs. Eliza
Dickens, of San Francisco, Cal., and Mrs. Woods.

Our subject received a very limited education.
Her mother having died wiien she was quite small
and her father marrying again, at the age of twelve
years she went to live in the home of a Mr.
Mears, a Deacon in the Congregational Church,
thus to make a living with her own hands. Later
she went to the home of a sister, with whom she
removed to New York, and about 1835 she joined
another sister in Harvard, 111. There she met and
married G. M. Fox, a native of Ohio, of English
descent, and a carpenter by trade. In 1839 they
started for Fairfiehl, Iowa, arriving on the day of
the first election in tiiis city — June 27. Mr. Fox
purchased a lot, and the following year erected
thereon the house in which Mrs. Woods now lives,
which was then known as the "big house." He
was a first-class mechanic and erected many dwell-
ings for the early settlers, besides assisting in tiie
erection of the first court-house. The first hous-e,
however, in which they lived was a |)rimitive log
dwelling with a stick chimney. Mr. Fox died in
1844, and three years later she married Parish
Ellis, an early settler, and also a mechanic. He
lived but four years. In 1857 she wedded Joel
Woods. Though a tailor by trade he was a man
of splendid natural endowments and a well-traineJ
mind. In 1858 he went to Colorado and engaged
in mining, and so won the esteem of his fellow-
miners that he vvas elected to the Legislature.
While hunting in Arizona he was shot and killed
by mistake. His remains were buried at Ft.
Whipple.

Though left alone in the world, Mrs. Woods
found a broad and useful field for her activities.
The war at length commenced and several severe
battles had been fought. The Iowa "boys in blue"
sick and wounded, had been sent to the hospital at
Keokuk, and realizing how much those who had kft

S36

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

comfortable homes needed some one to take the
place of a mother, she sacrificed her personal inter-
ests and gave her time and best efforts to the noble
work of alleviating the sufferings of Iowa's soldiers,
especially- those from Jefferson County. Backed
by the loj-al women at home, she did a work that
is gratefully remembered by the soldiers and spoken
of at their reunions, and that will live on the pages
of history. On the 3d of April, 1862, she took a
quantit)' of sanitary sufiplies to distribute among
the sick and wounded in the hospital at Keokuk,
where she remained during the greater part of the
summer to care for the afflicted troops. Having'
received three passes — one from Gen. Curtis, for
the department of tiie Northwest; the second, from
Gen. Ttiomas, and the third from the war depart-
ment, she made nine trips, taking cargoes that
varied from ten to thirty-seven tons. In Novem-
ber, 1862, slie started with the first supplies to
Springfield, Mo., but finding it impracticable for
her to go farther she placed her stores in charge of
anotlier at St. Louis and returned. In March of
the following year she started with a large cargo
for Missouri an(> ministered totheThird Iowa Cav-
alry, at Pilot Knob, and the Fourth Iowa Cavahy,
at Helena, Ark. Soon afterward she made her first
trip down the Mississiiipi into the heart of the Con-
federacy. Her plan was to travel incognito, letting
her business be known only to the proper authori-
ties. When asked where she was going, she would
reply: "To see ni}' sons, all of whom are in the
army." Though she had no son, she was a mother
to man}', and the Iowa boys learned to call her b\'
that sacred name, a custom which thej' still con-
tinue. To show how extensive w.as the field over
wliich she operated, it is but proper to give the
dates of transportation to a number of the places
visited: Little Rock, Ark., March 14, 1864; Chat-
tanooga, Tenn., May 16, 1864: Memphis, Tenn.,
November 23, 1864; and ftliUiken's Bend, in April,
1865. In the rear of ^'icksburg she was twice under
fire, but escaped uninjured. Her last trip was made
under the auspices of the United States Sanitary
Commission. With thirty-seven tons of supplies
she proceeded to New Orleans, there to take a boat
for Baraucus Island, off the coast of Louisiana. A
sanitary officer advised lier not to venture, saying

that she could not reach her destination and that
the vessel in which she was going was unsafe. If
she would turn over her stores to him he would see
to their proi)er distribution. Mrs. Woods insisted
upon going, whereupon he became irate and said
she should not, Init she replied that she had a pass
from the Government. The officer then went so
far as to say that she could not go if she ''had a pass
from Heaven," but when she drew forth the instru-
n)ent and said no power on earth should keep her
from going, the fellow's assumed authority shriv-
eled up like a "catternillar on a hot shovel." Ar-
riving at the island, she found her assistance much
needed. Several thousands of disabled soldiers were
left there, while the able-bodied went to assist in
the capture of Mobile. Mrs. Woods remained a
month, and on Christmas Day had one of the most
enjoyable feasts ever served, consisting of the
crackers and fresh butter taken from Iowa and the
large fresh oysters gathered from the ocean.

Since the war Mrs. Woods has led a quiet life,
unconscious of the great honors and gratitude she
has won. Of the following societies she is an hon-
orar}' member: P^astern Star, A. F. & A. M.; Re-
becca Degree, I. O. 0. F. ; the Gr.and Army of the
Republic; Agassiz Society, and the Alethean Lit-
erary Society, of Parsons College. The Fairfield
Hose Company is named in her honor, and to
its members she gives a ro^'al banquet each year.
In 1886 she was a State delegate to the National
Encampment at San Francisco. Unknown and un-
solicited on her jiart, her friends secured for her a
pension of *25 per month, of which she is truly
worthy. For fifty one years Mrs. Woods has been
a resident of Fairfield, and no citizen of the county
is more tenilerly loved or held in higher esteem.

^?^EORGE SNIDER is one of the pioneers of
l( ^W Jefferson County and a prominent farmer
V^y^J of Black Hawk Township, residing on sec-
tion 6. Tlie home of this worthy gentleman is one
of the finest in the township, A commodious and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

237

tasty frame residence, surrounded b^' good harns
and other necessarj- outbuildings sbeltering fine
stocli, and the whole encircled by waving fields of
grain, all indicate to the passer-by tliatthe owner is
a man of thrift and industry and his neighbors will
tell a similar story of his unceasing labor and en-
ter|)rise.

Mr. Snider was born in Bavaria, on Christmas
Day, of 1821, and is a son of Joh;i and Pha>be
Snider. His father, who was also a farmer Ijy occu-
pation, emigrated with his family to America in
1829. Making a location in Westmoreland County,
Pa., he purchased a farm which continued to be
bis home for some twenty-one years, when in 1851,
he again took up the line of march and made his
way to Jefferson County, Iowa. With his sou
George, who had previously located in the county,
he found a home, but about a month after his arrival
was called to the final home, dying on the 17th of
May, at the age of sixty-six years. His wife, v.ho
survived him about thirty years, died in March,
1880, and her remains were then placed by the side
of him who had gone before. John Snider and his
wife were parents of four children — Jacobennia,
deceased wife of Charles Sh}-; John, Jr., also de-
ceased; George, of this sketch, and Lizzie, who be-
came the wife of Andrew Altman, and died in
Kansas. Mr. Snider and his famil)- were faithful
members of the Lutheran Church. He took great
interest in church work and did what he could for
the promotion of the cause. In politics, he was a
firm supporter of the Democratic party. A worthy
citizen, a kind friend and neiglibor, and a gen-
erous and noble-hearted man. the entire community
mourned his death.

Upon George Snider devolves the duly of per-
petuating the family history as father, mother,
brother and sisters have all been called home, leav-
ing him the only survivor of a once happy and
united family circle. The advantages which he
received in his youth were limited, especially as
regards education, for the only schooling he ob-
tained was in the old country prior to his emigra-
tion to America, which occurred when he was a lad
of eight years. However, since coming to this
cour.try he has mastered the English language and,
being a lover of books, has devoted much time to

reading, thus acquiring a fund of information
which man}' having better advantages might well
env}'. He was brought up to the labor of tlie
farm and remained at home with his jiarents until
twentj'-flve years of age, when he assumed the man-
agement of the old homestead and continued in
charge of affairs until 1851, when he decided to east
his lot with the early settlers of Jefferson County.
On reaching his destination he made purchase of
eighty acres of land, paying §100 for the same.
Only twentj' acres of the entire amount had been
broken and a log house constituted the improve-
ments. A wonderful transformation has since lieen
wrought and the once barren i)rairie is now a rich
and fertile farm furnished with good buiblings, the
latest improved machiuery, and stocked with an ex-
cellent grade of horses and cattle. He gives special
attention to the raising of horses, kee]jing on hand
a number of good work horses. He also buys colts
which he raises and then puts on the market. The
comjjetence which now places Mr. Snider in a com-
fortable [losition and surrounds him with all that
goes to make life worth the living,. was not acquired
in a day, however, but is the result of patient toil,
perse vei-ance and industry. He not only began
life in the West with little capital but li.ad to en-
dure many of the hardshi|)S and disadvantages of
pioneer life. The little log cabin, which was the
first home of himself and wife in Iowa, was not
furnished with many luxuries; a goods box consti-
tuted the table, the other furniture was of a like
primitive character; they had to journey several
miles to mill and market and often the roads were
almost impassible, but nevertheless, Mr. Snider
declares those were among his happiest days. He
was a great hunter and tlie woods furnished
ample opportunity to indulge his liking for that
si)ort. Other pleasures added to the enjoyment of
pioneer life and, as the years rolled along, the
financial resources were increased so that manj'
comforts took the place of what were before incon-
veniences.

On the 11th of January, 1842, Mr. Snider was
united in marriage with Jliss Mary Ann Kistler,
whose parents were natives of Penns3'lvania. B3'
their union were born eleven children — Mary, born
June 8, 1846, is the wife of Abe Herman, of Black

238

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Hawk Township, Jefferson County; John, born
September 27, 1851, is a resident farmer of Black
Hawk Township; Sophia, born November 23, 1853,
is the wife of Frank Herman, of the same town-
ship; L.ydia A., born April 14, 1856, is tlie wife of
James Iset, of Kansas; Charles, born February 11,
1858, is his father's assistant on the home farm;
Sarali Jane, born October 25. 18C2. is the wife of
Albert Steel, of Richland, Keokuk County ; William
A., born Julj' 27, 1867, married Miss Nora Kist-
ler, is a farmer and miner and resides near the old
homestead ; Martin Luther, born June 16, 1870, is
also a miner, and Cieorge W., born August 17,
1872, is at home. i

Mr. Snider and his family* are faithful members
of the Lutheran Church and he is alwa} s ready to
give of his means for the support of the work; yet
he does not confine his generosity to his own
church alone, but gives liberally to all churches in
the neighborhood and to every enterprise worthy
of the support of honorable citizens. He cast his first
Presidential vote for James K. Polk and is a stanch
Democrat in politics. He formerly took an active
part in political affairs, being well posted on all
questions pertaining to the same, but has some-
what retired from that work. He was a member
of the Grange during the existence of that society
and is a member of the Old Settlers Society.

^ -^-^t^ ^

' LLEN KING is one of the oldest grocery
merchants of Fairfield, his career in that
line covering a period of eighteen years.
^j^ From the time when he established business

up to the present, he has been recognized as one of
the leading merchants of the city and bj' the liberal
patronage which he receives, we know that he has
won the confidence and i-espect of hie patrons as the
result of his courteous treatment, fair dealing and
prompt attention to the wants of his customers.

Mr. King is a native of Ohio, his birtli having
occured in Highland County. January 27, 1837.
Morris King, his father, was born in New Jersey in

1800, and wjis of Scotch descent, while his mother,
whose maiden name was Susannah Landess, was
born in North Carolina in I 802, of German parent-
age. The youth and maiden emigrated with their
respective families to Ohio when Cincinnati was a
small town. Mr. King was a hard-working man
and cleared and developed two farms in the midst
of the timbered regions of the Buckeye State. He
was a member of the Christian Church, a supporter
of the Democratic party and his death occurred in
1851. His wife is still living at the advanced age
of eighty-eight years and is still remarkably active.
Their union was blessed with a family of thirteen
children, six sons and seven daughters, of whom
ten are yet living. Two of the sons, Allen and
Perry, aie merchants of Fairfield.

The former, who has been prominentlj' connected
with the grocery interests of the city, is the fourth
in order of birth. In his youth he was inured to
the labors and hardships of farm life on the western
frontier, having to assist in the clearing and devel-
opment of lands, which in a timbered country was
no easy task. He attended the old time schools
where "lickin' and larnin' " went hand in hand, and
where it was believed to "spare the rod" was to
"spoil the child." At the age of eighteen years
he started out in life for himself and made his way
to Iowa, where he hoped to secure a good business
opening and be independent of all outside assist-
ance. He arrived in Jefferson Count}' in Dectm-
ber, 1855, and though only a boy, he was engaged
as teacher of a school in Cedar Township for $20
per month. That was his first attempt in imparting
knowledge to others. The following summer he
attended school and through the succeeding twelve
years he devoted his energies to farming during
the summer months and teaching in the winter sea-
son. He procured a farm for himself of fifty acres,
which he sold on coming to Fairfield. On the 21st
of September, 1856, Mr. King was united in mar-
riage with Sarah E. Smith, a native of Tennessee,
and they became parents of ten children, seven of
whom are j'et living, namely: Jelina E., wife of
Thomas Ward; Henry A., Clara I., Arie L., Frank
T., Maud S. and Lydia A.

On the nth of August, 1862, Mr. King entered
the service of his coiuitry as a member of Com-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

•239

pany G, Thirtieth Iowa Infantiy, but after a year
was discharged on account of lung trouble. He
continued his farm labors until 1872. when with
his family he removed to Fairfield and as before
stated embarked in the grocery business, as a part-
ner of James F. Crawford. That connection con-
continued a year and a half when Mr. King
sold out and formed a partnership with R. F.
McCashlin, they doing business together for three
years. He was then alone for the same length of
time, after which the firm of King Bros, was formed
and under that name the business was carried on
until 1888, since which time our subject has again
been alone. On the '22d of March, 1890, the store
in which he did business burned, losing him over
$1100. All recognize in Mr. King a trustwortlij',
enterprising, business man.

On the 8th of January, 1881, Mrs. King vvas
cnlled to her final rest and June 8, 1882, Mr. King
married Mrs. Mary E. (Shamp) Davis, who was
born in Wayne County, Ohio, July 31, 1844, and
is a daughter of Moses C. and Mary L. (Richart)
Shamp. Her father, a native of Pennsylvania, born
March 2, 1801, was of German descent and her
mother, who is of Irish descent, was born in the
same State, July 9, 1 80.5. Their marriage vvas cele-
brated in Lycoming County. Pa., in 1824, after
which thej' removed to Wayne County. Ohio, and
in 1846 came to Jefferson County. While in Wayne
County, Mr. Sh.amp served for several 3'ears as
Sheriff. He was a shoemaker by trade, but in Iowa
followed farming a short time and then engaged in
photography. He died October 22, 1876, and his
wife still survives and is living in Nebraska. Like
her husband she is a member of the Methodist*
Church. Seven of their family-, which once num-
bered eleven children, are yet living, but Mrs. King
is the only one living in Iowa.

From the lowest round of the ladder of life Mr.
King has mounted step by step until he has reached
a position of prominence and affluence. When he
was married he was 82.') in debt and whatever suc-
cess he has met with in life is due to his own efforts,
industrj', good management and the exercise of cor-
rect business principles. Mr. and Mrs. King are
both members of the Methodist Episcopal ('hurcli.
In political sentiment he is a Democrat, though he

has never sought political distinction. He held the
office of County Recorder from 1881 until 1886,
having been elected to llje position l)y a majority
of one hundred in a county which has four hundreil
Republican majority, a fact which indicates his
personal popularity. He is a member of the Ma-
sonic order and of the Easter Star Branch of the
same.

EV. LEWLS MENDENHALL, a minister

of the Free Methodist Church, claims the

'^ \\\ honor of being a native of Fairfield, of which

^ city he is now a resident. His birth here
occurred on the 20th of February, 1849, he being
the son of Daniel and Susannah (Pierce) Menden-
hall — whose sketch appears on another page of this
work — who are numbered among tlie pioneer set-
tlers of Jefferson County. They emigrated west-
ward, becoming residents of Iowa in 1842, during
the territorial days of the State which in many
respects is now equal to any in the Union.

Our subject s[ient the days of his bo^'hood and
youth in his native city and, having acquired his
primar3' education in the public schools, became a
student in the Fairfield University. Later he
further pursued his studies in the Iowa Wcslejan
College, of Mt. Pleasant, and ended his school days
in Wheaton College, of Wheaton, 111. In his youth
he was converted and desiring to devote his life to
the work of the ministry, carefully prepared himself
for that life, and in 1869, when only' twenty years
of age, was licensed to preach. His first charge
was at Belvidere and Marengo, 111. While in that
State, on the 5th of October, 1873, he was ordained
Deacon in the Illinois Conference and on the 11th
of September, 1876, was ordained Elder in the
Iowa Conference. The greater |)art of his pastoral
work has been accomplished in Iowa and has been
productive of much good. For two 3'ears he was
pastor of the church in his native city, for one year
had charge of the congregation in Cedar Rapids,
and the following year the church in Marion. A
year later he preached in Ottumwa. Afterwards

240

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

he preacliefl in Birmingham, where he spent two
years engage'l in pastoral labor. He still resided at
Kairfield during liis ministerial work at Ottumwa
and Birminshara. Mr. Mendenhall li.as also done
considerable work in supplying pulpits and as a
locid preacher. Wherever located, people of the
community learned to love and esteem him for his
upriglit life and the influence for good wh-ch he
exerted. Since 1S87 he has not been engaged in
regular work, but his love for the cause still con-
tinues, and is manifested by the active interest
which he feels in his home church and those of ad-
joining towns.

In Fairfield, on the 20th of March, 1877, Mr.
Jlendenhall led to the marriage altar Miss Alberta
Smithburg. a daughter of Charles P. and Annie C.
.Smithburg. She was born in Sweden and came to
America with her parents when two yeai'S of age.
Their union was blessed with three children, sons,
liut the youngest is now deceased .William Wesley
was born August 8, 1878; Harry Edgar, De-
cember 10, 1882; and Charlie Clu-istian, who was
born .Tune 16, 1886. died December 27, 188'J.

In his political alBliations, Mr. Mendenhall is a
Republican when voting on matters of local or
Slate interest, but at tiie last two Presidential elec-
tions he cast his ballot with the Piohibition part}',
believing the question of the prohibition of tlie
liquor traflic to be paramount to every other issue
now before the people. The cause of temperance
has ever found in him a warm and able defender,
and all other reforms calculated to benefit the peo-
ple may be sure of his hearty endorsement and sup-
[lort.

■•■ «i?'«3in'if «^i« «»

^^ RANDALL C. WALKER, Auditor of Van
(l( Buren County, Iowa, and a resident of Keo-

^^(' sauqua, was born in Mercer County, Pa.,
November 8, 1849, and is a son of Harvey and
Anna M. (Nelson) Walker. In 1854, when our
subject was but five years of age, the family emi-
grated to Knox County, 111., and three years later
made a settlement in Bourbon County, Kan., but

at the time of the border warfare were forced to
leave the State on account of the radical abolition
principles which Mr. Walker entertained. He and
his famil}' afterwards became residents of Jeffer-
son County, Kan., and when the War for the Union
l)roke out, anxious to aid his country in the pres-
ervation of the Union, he enlisted in the famous
Graybeard Regiment of Kansas. Mi-. Walker was
personally acquainted with Jim Lane and John
Brown, two of the most noted characters connected
with the early history of the late war. He has
lived to see the entire abolishment of slavery with
scarce]}' even a trace of its existence remaining,
and yet makes his home in Jefferson County, where
he and his wife are widely known. In their family
were eleven children, namely: Crandall C, Claud-
ius D., Marion D., Marvin L., Olina, Ellis F.,
Schuyler R., Mitchell H., Roland, (deceased) Anna
and Willie. Mr. Walker is a man of the strictest in-
tegrity and uprightness who can not be induced to
swerve from the path of duty, and his life makes an
impress upon the character of all those with whom he
comes in contact. The principles of the Whig
party received his support in his early life, after-
ward he became identified with the Abolitionists
and is now a stanch supporter of the Republican
party.

Crandall C. Walker, whose name heads this
sketch, acquired his early education in the pioneer
schools of Kansas, after which he attended Baker's
University, in Baldwin City, Kan., but before com-
pleting the course, failing strength forced him to
abandon his studies. The next three years he spent
in the southern part of the State for the purjjose of
regaining his health, after which he came to Iowa
in 1874. It was his intention to further prosecute
his studies in Mt. Pleasant, but his exchequer be-
coming somewhat exhausted, it was necessary to
replenish it ere he could carry out his plans. In
the winter of 187.5-C he was a student in Knox Col-
lege, of Galesburg, III., and during the succeed-
ing twelve years he devoted his attention to school
teaching in Van Buren County, Iowa, and in Illi-
nois and Kansas.

In 1877, in Winchester, Van Buren County,
Iowa, Mr. Walker was united in marriage with
Miss Flora D. Fry, daughter of A. A. Fry, of that

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

241

place. He then embaiked in farming and in connec-
tion with his fatlier-in-law, owned the first draft
liorse in tlic county, since vvliich time he has made
a business of breeding horses. In 1889 he was
elected to the office of County Auditor, l)y the Re-
publican (larty, of which he has ever iieen a stal-
wart advocate. He has been a resident of Keosau-
qua since 1881.

Mr. and JNIrs. Walker are the parents of three
children — Kthel, Florence and \'edah, and also lost
one in infancy. Their church relationship is with
the Methodist Episcopal, of which they are faith-
ful members. As an educator, stock-raiser and
public otlicer, he has been successful and is re-
garded as a representative and worthy citizen of
the county.

I

^ OSEPII CAMPBELL is engaged in farming
and stock-raising on section 29, Locust
Grove Townshi]). Jefferson Count}', where
he has made his home for twenty years. He
first came to Iowa, in April, 1855, settling near
Batavia, and has since made his home in this State,
but a portion of the time has resided elsewhere than
in Jeffersiin County. The family was founded in
America during Colonial d.ays, but we have little
knowledge concerning its early history, save that
John and Mary Campbell, the paternal grandi)ar-
ents of our subject, were natives of Maryland and
there resided many years. His maternal granil par-
ents, Joseph and Susan (Hartraan) Wadsworth,
were natives of Pennsylvania. The husband
served in the War of 1812, and died while return-
ing to his home after the battle of Lundy's Lane.

Thomas Campbell, father of Joseph, was born in
Maryland, but in his youth removed to Pennsyl-
vania, where he became acrpiainted with and mar-
ried Sidney Wadsworth, who vvas born in the Key-
stone Stale. By occupation he was a farmer and
followed that business throughout his entire life.
He died in Pennsylvania, in 1880, at an advanced
age, having survived his wife about forty years.

Their family numbered ten children, of whom
J<jseph was the oldest. The other members who
came to Iowa are Joel, who located in Jefferson
County, in 1855, but is now living in Ottumwa.
and John who came to the State in 1857, and is
now a resident of Polk County, Mo.

In his youth, Joseph Cam|)bell acquired a good
English education and on the completion of his
school life began teaching in Pennsylvania, suc-
cessfully following that profession from 1848 until
the winter of 1855-6. Believing that the AVest
furnished better opportunities for young men than
the older States of the East, he came to Jefferson
County and the following winter was employed as
a teacher in Batavia. In 1857, he made his first
purchase of land consisting of a one hundred and
sixty-acre tract in Wayne County. This farm he
afterward sold and became owner of one in Wa-
pello County, which he improved and operated for
some twelve years. It was in 1869, that he bought
one hundred acres of improved land in Locust
Grove Township pnd removed to his present home.
A man of good business ability, he has been quite
successful in his undertakings and is now numbered
among the substantial citizens of Jefferson County.
As an early settler he can relate many interesting
incidents of pioneer life in the West, when Iowa
was but sparsely settled, when Fairfield was a mere
village, when the farmer had to take his grain to
Keokuk and Burlington to market and drive his
stock to Chicago. But all this is now changed, the
log cabins have been replaced b}' commodious and
substantial farm residences, the wild land is trans-
formed into fertile farms, towns and villages have
sprung up and Fairlield has blossomed as a thriv-
ing little city, whose industries, manufactories, in-
stitutions of learning and adornments might grace
a ))lace that numbers a far greater population.

Mr. Campbell has never taken a very active part
in political affairs, especially in the sense of office
seeking, but keeps himself well informed on the
issues of the day and supports the Republican party
by his ballot. He cast his first Presidential vote for
Gen. T.aylor. He is more interested in providing
good schools for the children of the community and
has done effective service in that line while acting
on the school board. Both he and his wife are

242

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHIC AT, ALBUM.

members of the Methodist Church and are active
workers for its interests.

In East Liberty, Fayette County. Pa., in 1851,
Mr. Campbell was united in marriage with Miss
Emma Randolpli, wlio was born in New Jersey, of
wliicb State her parents, Samuel and Nancy(Girard)
Randol|ih, were also natives. Her father was a boot
and slice dealer and did a good business in that
line. His death occurred in Pennsylvania in 18fi3,
but his wife survived until 1884. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Campbell were born ten children and the fam-
ily circle yet remains unbroken by the hand of
death. Sarah J., the eldest, is now Mrs. Hall, of
Smith County, Kan.; Walter S. is married and re-
sides near Batavia; Anna Laura is now Mrs. Parrett,
of Locust Grove Township; BIrs. Florence Long is
living in lildon, Iowa; Mrs. Ella Fancher makes
her home in Wapello County; Charles Randolph is
living in Ottumwa; Alice C, Frank T., Mary and
Clara are at home.

ylLLIAM GREGORY, who resides on .sec-
tion 10, Black Ilawk Township, ranks
^ ^ among the representative and piominent
farmers and stock-dealers of Jefferson Count3'. His
has been a jirosperous career and in the discharge
of his duties, the performance of his labors, and in
his intercourse with his fellow- men, his life has
ever been such that the people li.ave accorded him
their high regard and warm friendship.

On the 2d of March, 1832, in North Carolina,.
Mr. Gregory first opened his eyes to the light of
day. His father, Jesse Gregory, v.'as a native of
Virginia and when a young man removed to Nirrth
Carolina, where he followed his trade of carpenter-
ing. He married Miss Barbara Fogleman, who was
ijorn in North Carolina, and in 1838 the}- removed
to Morgan County, Ind., where the remainder of
their lives were spent. Their family' numbered
seven sons, who assisted the father in developing
and improving his farm during the summer months

and aided him in carpenter work during the winter
season. Mr. CTregory was a hard-working man. He
had little opportunity for securing an education in
his boyhood, but in a great measure he overcame
such disadvantages and at his death was in com-
fortable circumstances. In politics, he was first a
Whig and later a Republican. Naught could be
said against his character but all esteemed him as
an honorable, upright citizen. His death occurred
October 3, 1846, and his wife died on the 4th of
September of the same year, only about a month
previous, and the}' were laid to rest side by side in
the cemetery of Moorcsville, Morgan County, Ind.

The seven sons of Jesse and Barbara (Gregory
are John, who was born August 13, 1830, and is
now a farmer of .Jasper Count}-. Iowa; William, of
this sketch; Daniel, born September 28, 1836, now
deceased; Joel, born December 3. 1838, a resident
farmer of Keokuk County, Iowa; Peter, born March
20, 1841, a farmer of Jefferson County, Neb.; Eli,
born March 10, 1843, died during the laie war,
and James, born April 4, 1846, is engaged in farm-
ing in Jefferson County, Neb. Three of the sons
were faithful soldiers dui'ing the late war. Eli,
who was a member of an Indiana Regiment was
taken prisoner at the battle of the Wilderness and
(iied while in confinement in Salisbury, N. C.
Joel, who was a member of the Seventh Iowa In-
fantry, pai'ticipated in the capture of Ft. Donelson,
his first engagement, and then continued in the
service until the close of the war, but liis health
was permanently impaired ; Peter enlisted among the
boys in blue of the Twenty-Hflh Indiana Regiment
and served in the Atlanta campaign and marched
with Sherman to the sea.

The first six years of his life our subject spent in
his native State,butin 1838 he accomoanied his [lar-
ents lo Indiana, where for a few years he attended
the common school but at the ase of ten years he
was liound out to George Greeson, who removed
to Keokuk County, Iowa, when our subject was
thirteen years old. Mr. Gregory remained with that
employer until he had attained his majority and
during that time became inured to liard labor as
his guardian was oiiening ui) a new farm. At the
age of twenty-one j'ears he was to receive a horse,
saddle and bridle, but instead, took $75 in money

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

243

and with that capital started out in life for himself.
He knew how to work, however, and witli strong
arms and a read_y will he began the battle which all
must fight in order to gain a plucc of honor and
prominence in the world.

For a time he worked as a farm hand at $10 and
$11 per month, and from that meagre sum saved
iilOO per year. On the loth of Febrnary, 1857, he
formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Mary E.
Jenkins, a native of North Carolina, born in March,
1839. He then rented a farm which he operated
for eight years when he made purchase of an eiglity-
acre tract, eighteen acres of which had been broken
though none was under cultivation. About the
same time he was called upon to mourn the loss of
his wife, who died December 30, 18G4, leaving two
children — iNIandy J., who was born March 19, 1860,
and is now the wife of Joseph Patrick, and Sarah
E., wiio. was born January 8, 1862, and married
Joseph Kaufman. On the 8th of October, 1865,
Mr. Gregory was united in marritvge with Mrs.
Massie Greeson, a daughter of Henry and Charity
Kinzer. Her father was a native of Virginia, her
mother of Indiana, and their marriage, was cele-
brated in the latter State. Tiiey removed to Iowa
in 1847, locating m Keokuk County, where Mrs.
Kinzer died the following year, but her husband is
still living in that community. Their family num-
bered eight children: Benjamin, John and Susan
are deceased; Hezekiah is living in Colorado; Mas-
sie, now Mrs. Gregory, is the next younger; Adam
resides in Hardin County, Iowa; Jacob is now de-
ceased; William, who completes the famil}-, is living
on the old homestead.

To Mr. and Mrs. Gregory have been born three
daughter: Addie May. who is now the wife of Mil-
ton Iladley, a farmer of Keokuk County, Iowa;
\cna Eldora, wife of Oscar Hobson, of Nebraska;
and Mary Emma, at home. Mr. Gregory has given
his children good educational advantages. Not
having like opportunities he resolved that they
should not feel its loss and in consequence they
were thus ably fitted for the practical duties of life.

As before stated, Mr. Gregory's first purchase
consisted of eighty acres of land, but since coming
to this county his career has been one of almost
unbroken prosperity, and at one time he was the

owner of five hundred and ninety acres of valuable
land, but to I'acli of his daughters he has given
eighty acres, reducing his own farm to two hundred
and seventy acres. This entire amount is under a
high state of cultivation, good barns and other
outbuildings have been erected and the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory is one of the finest in the
townshii). He makes a specialty of stock-raising
and can utilize almost his entire grain tropin feed-
ing his cattle. Mr. Gregor}' may truly be called a
self-made man. Sagacious and far-sighted, fair
and honest in all his dealings, his business interests
have prospered and his life has been a successful
one. In his political affiliations he is a stalwart
Republican, having cast his ballot for the sujjport
of that party since attaining his majorit3^ He has
ever avoided office-holding, but has the ability to
fill any local position could he be imluced to ac-
cept office. He is well informed on all subjects of
general interest and able to express his ideas forci-
bly and well. His generous nature prompts him
to deeds of charity and benevolence, and by the
pf'or and needy he is regarded as a benefactor. He
and his wife arc members of the Methodist Church
and live in harmony with their professions. The
life record of Mr. Gregory can be summed up in
the one word — victory.

^ OSEPH ALISON McKEMEY, an honored
pioneer of Iowa of June, 1839, was born in
Washington, Washington County, Pa.,
(,(®^ March 27, 1815. His parents, James W.
and ^lartha (Alison) McKemey, were also natives
of the Keystone State. The father, who was born
in Franklin Count.y, in 1785, died in 1816, at the
early age of twenty-nine years, and his wife was
born in the same county, March 19, 1793. Within
a few years after the death of her husband, Mrs.
McKemey married Jacob Slagle, a most estimable
man, in whom Josei)h A. (the only child of the first
marriage) found a kind and indulgent father. Mr.
Slagle was a saddler and harness-maker by trade

244

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPPIICAL ALBUM.

and with him our subject served a regular api^ren-
ticesbip, continuinj^ in the shop until twenty-one
years of age. He then traveled and worked as a
journeyman in various cities in Ohio and Indiana
until the spring of 1839, when in company with
thre-? old men, he set out on horseback from Wash-
ington, Pa., for the Territory of Iowa. They jour-
neyed through three Stales — Ohio, Indiana and lUi-
nois-and after a montli spent upon the road reached
Burlington, Iowa, on the 24th of June. Among the
many incidents of interest that occurred during
the journey was one made memorable l\y subse-
quent events. Having reached Decatur, III., on a
certain Friday evening in April, they stopped at
the same hotel where Abraham Lincoln and Stei^hen
A. Douglas were guests. T'he recent rains had
swollen the Sangamon River to such an extent that
it was not fordable and they were obliged to lay
over from Friday night until the following Tues-
day. During this delay they were well entertained
by the conversation and sallies of wit between the
two young men who have since become prominent
characters of the Nation. On reaching Springfield
our travelers found Mr. Lincoln already there, he
having preceded them on foot. Twenty-two j'ears
later that gentleman was making another journey
beset with jjeril greater than floods, when he as-
sumed the office of President. Mr. McKeraey pro-
ceeded from Burlington to Bentonsport, where he
opened a little country store and harness shop,
continuing at that place until 1842, when he re-
moved to Jefferson County, where he purchased a
claim of four hundred and eighty acres which was
situated about two miles south of Fairfield. He en-
tered the land at the land sales and immediately
began the improvement of a farm.

On the 28th of February, 1844, Mr McKemcy
was united in marriage with Miss Cynthia A.
Hemphill, who was born in Bedford County, Pa.,
and is a daughter of Adley Hemphill. She removed
with her parents to Wayne County', Ohio, in child-
hood and thence came with her family to Jef-
erson County, Iowa, in 1842. Seven children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. McKemey, namely: Martlia
Jane, who is now the wife of Daniel De Vicmon
and resides in Denver, Col.; Margaret, who died at
the age of thirty years; the third child died in in-

fancy; Elizabeth, is the wife of Capt. S. J. Ches-
ter, of Fairfield, whose sketch appears elsewhere
in this work; Jacob S., is a lawyer of Fairfield and
is also represented in this volume; Mary A., is the
wife of Roland J. Wilson, son of Senator Wilson
and a lawyer Of Fairfield; Flora, the youngest of
the family, is the wife of Dr. J. C. Sutton of Lib-
ertyville, Jefferson County, Iowa.

Mr. McKemey removed to Fairfield in 1845 and
opened a harness shop, successfully carrying on
business in that line until elected County Treas-
urer in the fall of 1857, when he sold out and en-
tered upon the duties of the office, October 1, 1857.
He was twice re-elected and held the position for
six years. Declining to again enter the field as a
candidate, he liought out a man who was running a
harness shop in Fairfield and put matters in shape
to resume business without loss of time. So well
did he succeed that on turning over the treasurer's
office to his successor, he walked down to the har-
ness shop and resumed work before he returned to
his home. From that time until December, 1885,
Mr. McKemey did a lucrative business, when hav-
ing reached the age of three-score and ten and hav-
ing secured a competency, he retired from active
business.

In politics, Mr. McKemej' was first a Whig with
strong anti-slavery views. In 1847, he met with
seven others at Fairfield and organized an anti-
slavery association for the purpose of opposing
slavery and aiding escaping fugitives to secure their
libert}'. When the Republican party was formed
he joined that organization and was a delegate to
its first State convention in 1854. Until the Pres-
idential election in 1888,he w.as a zealous supporter
of the principles of that party, when, believing the
best interests of society would be served b}' the
success of the Prohibition party, he withdrew from
the Republican ranks and voted for Fiskand Brooks,
the prohibition Presidential nominees. He is now
classed as a most uncompromising Prohibitionist.
Mr. JMcKemey received his early religious instruc-
tion under the auspices of the strict old fashioned
Presb^'terian school and became a member of that
church in Fairfield, maintaining his connection
wiih the same until 1860, when, failing to find
within it that warm sympathy for the victims of

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

245

slavery thai lie expecterl and desired, he withdrew
from it and witli his wife joined the Congregational
Church, of which they have since been consistent
members.

Mr. McKeniey's mother died at St. Louis, Mo.,
May 15, 1858, while on her way to visit her chil-
dren in Iowa. While now in his seventy-sixth year
JNIr. McKemey is well preserved; liis mental facul-
ties are strong and active and his interest in cur-
rent affairs of the world is as earnest and lively as
ever. lie is happily situated in the enjoyment of
a safe competency while he has been enabled to as-
sist his children to start in life for tliemselves, and
enjoys tlie satisfaction of knowing that they are all
well-to-do and that they are useful and respected
niembsrs of society. He is a man wliom to know
is to love and esteem. His sympathies are always
witli the weak and oppressed, and his whole course
of life has tended to encourage and point the way
to a higher standard of usefulness and morality
than is found in the everyday walks of life.

3RTm|

(|/_^ ENRY SEMON, deceased, was one of the
men who has taken an active part in tiie
upbuilding of Fairfield, Jefferson County,
where his family still resides. He was of
German birth, his parents being John and Uoralhea
(Rapp) Seraon. Both were natives of Hesse-
Darmstadt, Germany, where on the 20th of April,
1820, our subject was also born. Ilis father was
a Captain in the German army and served for four-
teen years under Napoleon. In pursuit of fortune
lie followed farming and stock-dealing, and socially
he ranked high in the community, being a man of
sterling worth whose excellencies of character won
him tiie high regard of all with whom he came in
contact. Of the family of seven children, consist-
ing of four sons and three daughters, three came to
the United States. John is now living in Quiiicy,
111, and George and Henry in Fairfield.

Our subject was the third child of the famll}'.
He received a good education in his mother tongue

which thus enabled him to sooner master the Eng-
lish language. In early life he learntd' the
butcher's trade wliich he followed successfully
some thirty-eight years. It was in December, 1848,
that he sailed for New York and for seven ^ears af-
ter his arrival in this country he traveled over dif-
ferent States for the purpose of seeing something
of the land which he had heard so much about,
working at his trade the while. On the lUth of
July, 1856, in Galesburg, III., he was united in
marriage with Miss Francesca Ackerraan, a native
of Bavaria, born July 31, 1833. She is descended
from one of the old wealthy families on the Rhine,
and being an only daughter was tiierefore given
the best opportunities for an education and literary
culture. Her father was the last of the family to
cross the ocean and his last da3's were spent with
his daughter in Fairfield, where he died at the age
of seventy-five j'cars. Three of her brothers also
found homes in this country. Wolfgang served
his adopted country nobly in the late war and
died soon after he was discharged. ; Jacob is liv-
ing in Wisconsin and' Matthew resides in Fairfield.

Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Semon
started for Fairfield and since 1856, have been resi-
dents of this city. Soon after their ai rival he es-
tablished a meat market which he operated until
1875. His long experience in that business made
him familiar with the desires of the public and he
soon built up an excellent trade, reaping a good
income therefrom. Since disposing of his market
in 1875, he devoted the greater part of his time
to his real-estate interests. Not a little has he
aided in the advancement of the city's interests by
his improvement of resident proiierty. He also
built the first opera house in Fairfield in 1875, and
has always a liberal supporter of such enter-
prises as were calculated to advance the interests
of the community. He never took an active part
in politics but always unhesitatingly' voted his sen-
timents, suppporting the men of his choice. Re-
ligiously he was a member of the Lntlieran Church
and socially of the Knights of Pythi.as and V. A.
S. fraternities. His wife is a member of the Catho-
lic Church.

By the union of Mr. and Mrs. Semon seven chil-
dren were born as follows: Henry W., who died in

24G

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

liis sixteenth year; Elizabeth, who became tlie wife
of B. T. Howell of Chicago, by whom she has one
daughter, Mand, the only grandchild; Marie D.,
wife of Dr. H. T. Nelson of Chicago; John J., who
died at the age of eighteen years; Sara, Anna and
Cora who are at home. Blr. Semon was a success-
ful business man and an estimalile citizen who was
always prompt in the discharge of his duties of cit-
izenship, was ever ready to meet an obligation and
treat all with that upright and courteous conduct
which won in return the confidence and respect of
those with whom he had dealings. After a sick-
ness of nearly a year's duration he passed awa}' on
the 29th of June, 1890.

"'"'S=S

I BEN F. SIMMONS, junior member of the
law firm of McKcmey & Simmons, of Fair-
field, was born in Locust Grove Township,
Ji ITerson County, March 10, 1855, and is a son of
W. L. S. and Sarah (Weaver) Simmons. His par-
ents were from Clermont County, Ohio, but are
numbered among the early settlers of Jefferson
County. In 1842, his father visited this county,
and after securing some land and a home, returned
to his native State, and was married. Accompan-
ied by his bride, he at once started for the West —
the then western wilds of Iowa, where he has since
resided. A sketch of this worthy gentleman ap-
peals on another page of this work.

Our subject was provided with liberal educa-
tional advantages in his youth, and on the comple-
tion of a course in the Iowa Wesleyan University
(■f !\It. Pleasant, came to Fairfield in September,
1.S83. The legal profession seemed an attractive
one to him, and desiring t.o pursue it as a means of
livelihood, he entered upon the study of law in the
office of Leggett & McKemey. After a thorough
course o£ reading he was adruitted to practice in the
State courts, and in the Supreme Court of the State
in December, 1885. After spending a year as clerk
with his preceptors, he formed the existing partner-
ship with J. S. McKemey, who had severed his con-

nection with Mr. Leggett on the election of the latter
to the District Judgeship. The lirm of McKemey
& Simmons has acquired a very fair practice,
which is steadily increasing. Mr. Simmons is a
Republican in politics.

=^

/?M^\ I^ES McSURELY, who resides on sec-
// 1\\ '^'^'^ ^' Washington Township, Van Buren
11 lL County, is one of the few pioneer settlers
who has lived to witness the wonderful
development of this grand State which far sur-
passes the most sanguine day dreams of 'the pio-
neer, as with brave heart and sinewy arm he entered
the forests of the Des Jloines \'alley to hew out
the logs, puncheons and clapboards, for a home and
wrest from its i)rimitive growth of forest, the soil
which was destined to become the foundation
upoii which was reared this vast commonwealth.

Mr. McSurely is a native of Ohio, born February
9, 1809, and the second in order of birth in a fam-
ily of seven children, whose jsarents were James
and Maria McSurely. His father, a native of Ire-
land, came to this countrj' at the close of the Re-
volutionary War and for a time made his home in
Kentucky. He there married and then removed
with his bride to Ohio, where he followed his trade
of weaving until his death, which occurred in 1840.
His wife was a native of Kentucky and died in the
Buckeye State in 1833.

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in
Ohio, and in his youth learned the trade of a ship
carpenter. Having attained to man's estate, on the
24th of January, 1833, he wedded iliss Catherine
McCann, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Rose)
MeCann. The young couple started in life with
a capital consisting of health, energy and mutual
confidence, their aim being to .secure a comfortable
home. After working for three or four years at
his trade on the Ohio River, they decided to tr}'
tlieir fortune in the wild West, by which term Iowa
w.as then known, and in March, 1H37, Mr. JlcSurcly
entered one hundred and sixty acres of laud from

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

247

the (Government in Van Buren County. The fol-
lowing sjuing the family moved into a little log
caliin wiiicli he had hastily erected and began life
in true pioneer style. The dimensions of the dwell-
ing were 14x10 feet and it was destitute of a floor
except the earth, and several weeks elapsed before
Mr. McSurelj' could spare the time to prepare the
puncheons for a floor. After eighteen months, he
sold out and began the improvement of another
quarter section. This he also disposed of and in
.June, 1844, bought the farm upon which he has
made his home continuously since. Forty-six years
have served to transform that barren tract into a
region of great fertility and productiveness. A
neat and commodious dwelling, tastefully furnished
and provided with all the comforts of life furnish
them a home and this is surrounded by barns and
outbuildings such as are indispensable to the model
farm of the Nineteenth Century. Fences have di-
vided the land into well kei)l fields, and the neat-
ness and order which there reign, give evidence
to the passer-by of the thrift and industry of the
owner, who has labored indefatigably for the inter-
ests of his family. He has however, not been alone
in his efforts, but has been ably assisted and sec-
onded by his estimable wife, who ever bore her part
in the hardships and trials of earlier daj's and who
unremittingl}' cared for the household affairs while
her husband was busy in the fields.

The long period of fifty-eight 3'ears has elapsed
since this worthy couple, as man and wife, started
out on life's journey together. As is the common
lot, they have met with reverses and discourage-
ments, but altogether theirs has been a happy and
prosperous life. Their union has been blessed with
a family of ten children, seven of whom are j-et
living: ^lary J., the eldest, is now the wife of E.
Nestnith, of Davis County, by whom she has six chil-
dren: Dora, Minnie, Cora, Eliza, F^lla, and Bertha;
Margaret, the second of the family, is now deceased ;
"William makes his home in California; Benjamin,
who was a member of Company G, Third Iowa
Infantry, died in Mexico, Mo., during the service;
Rufus is also deceased; Anderson, who is living in
Montana, enlisted in Company G, Third Iowa Cav-
alry, in 1863, and served until the close of the war;
Hannah cares for her parents in their old age and

has charge of the household'duties; James is a resi-
dent of Keosauqua; Kate is the wife of J. W.
McManaman, of Decatur County, Iowa, and the
mother of six children — Rufus, Marj', Roscoe, I.W.,
Kate, and Robert. John, who is now in the West,
completes the familj'.

At one time Mr. McSurely owned four humhed
and sixty-three acres of land. Of this he retains
one hundred and sixty acres as a home for himself
and wife, and the balance he has given to his chil-
dren. As they have left the parental roof for homes
of their own, he has given to each enough money or
propertj' with which they may make a good start
in life and in return received the care and love of
dutiful children. Their daughter, Hannah, still
remains with them, caring for them in their declin-
ing years with a filial devotion that is sure of a
blessed reward. But as you talk with the wortliy
couple of bygone days, they will tell you that the
happiest moments of their lives were spent in the
log cabin of long ago with their children all about
them; when neighbors were few, but as they met to
exchange the hospitalities of their humble homes it
was with the true hearty friendship characteristic
of this sturdy generation which is now slowly but
surely' passing away. Mr. McSurely has always
been an active Republican in politics. He enjoys
the confidence and high esteem of his friends and
neighbors and is well deserving a place among the
representative citizens of Van Buren County.

•^^-

lEORGE ACHESON. deceased, was born in
(=, Washington County, Pa., on the 16th of
'^^^ June, 1821, and died .Sundaj' evening, April
24, 1881, in Fairfield, Jefferson County, being at
the time of his death in the sixtieth year of his age.
He was the sixth child in a family consisting of
five brothers and four sisters, and his parents were
David and Catherine Acheson. Having completed
his education at Washington College, Washington
Pa., he read law with his brother, A. W. Acheson,
of that city. In the spring of 1843, accompanied

248

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

by C. W. Slagle, since deeeaserl, he started west-
ward in searcli of a location. Tliey crosse<J the
Mississippi River on the 6tli of April, thirty eiglit
years ago, and soon afterward made choice of Fair-
field as a favorable opening, and began the prac-
tice of law, which they continued until the death
of Mr. Acheson, the firm Iieing at that time the
oldest law firm in Iowa.

On the 23d of December, 1847, Mr. Acheson was
united in marriage with Miss jNIary Hemphill,
daughter of Adley Hemphill, Esq., one of the early
settlers of Jefferson County. As the rtsult of this
happy marriage, six children were born but two
died |)rior to tiie death of the father. The two sur-
viving sons are .Tohn and George. The eldest
daughter, Ellen, is the wife of C. A. Clarke, a
lieutenant of the United States Navy, and the
younger, Mary, is the wife of D. F. Garretson, of
Kansas City. With a kind husband and father, an
affectionate and careful vvife and mother, no hap-
pier home was ever known. Mrs. Acheson 's death
occurred April 2, 1880.

In early life. Mr. Acheson was a Democrat, and
as such was elected the second oonnty prosecutor
in 1846. When Fairfield was incorporated in 1847,
he was elected the first City Recorder, and after-
ward, in 1862, was elected Mayor, liolding the
office two terms. He was for many years a Trus-
tee of the asylum for the insane at Mt. Pleasant,
and was also one of the holders of the deed for
Fairfield's first cemetery, which was afterward .as-
signed to the city. Ontlie firing upon of Ft. Sum-
ter, his patriotism was aroused, and he became an
active advocate of the war for the Union. For a
time he was known as a war Democr.at, but later
identified himself with the party of the administra-
tion. His earnestness and enthusiasm encouraged
enlistments, cheered many a fainting s|)irit, and ex-
ercised a vast influence for good. Ever with the
cause of humanity, riglit and justice, Mr. Acheson
was positive in his convictions, and earnest in his
advocacy of wiialever he believed to he for the
bettering of the human family. Of George Ache-
son's life, his friends cherisli many pleasant memo-
ries. During all his busy years, he never swerved
from the path of justice or of duty. Honest and
upright, his bright career as an attorney, and as a

business man, was never marred b}' an unworthy
deed. He was devoted to his profession, and al-
though m.any places of profit and trust were within
his reach in other directions, he never availed him-
self of circumstances to win political preferment.

In all matters of public interest, and for the ad-
vantage of Fairfield, Mr. Acheson was always at
the front. With others of her citizens he labored
hard for her first railroad, and perhaps his connec-
tion with the Southwestern was more beneficial to
Jefferson County than that of any other man. He
was one of the founders of the Jefferson County
Coal Company, .and the First National Bank, and a
warm friend of the Parsons College enterprise. He
was active in support of the public library, and was
one of the owners of the handsome brick block on
the north side of the square.

Mr. Acheson was the first Mason ever initiated in
Jefferson County, and was one of the charter mem-
bers of Clinton Lodge, No. 15, A. F. <fe A. M. of
Fairfield. He held many official positions in that
order, and obtained high standing in it. A meet-
ing of the bar of F.airfleld was held at the office of
McCoid & West, on Monday afternoon, April 25,
to take the cust<imary .action on the death of a fel-
low practitioner. James F. Wilson was m.ade Chair-
man, I. D. Jones, Secretary, and a committee of
five, consisting of James F. Wilson, W. B. Culbert-
son, J. J. Cummings, M. A. McCoid, and C. D.
Leggett, was appointed to draft a set of resolutions
and reported as follows:

liesolvi'd. That the members of the bar of Fair-
field have with profound regret learned of the death
of George Acheson, for many years a member of
our bar, an .able and courteous practitioner.

Resolved, That wiiile we remember Mr. Acheson
as a most worthy member of our profession, we also
bear testimony to his worth as a member of this
community, ever ready with deeds for the promo-
tion of its best interests, and alw.ays alive to [iro-
pose means for the advancement of its prosperity'.

Resolved, That James F. Wilson be requested to
present these resoUitions to the District and Cir-
cuit Courts for the county' at the next terms thereof,
and request that they be entered upon the records,
respectively.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

249

communicated to the family of Mr. Acheson, with
the heartfelt condolence of the bar, and that, as a
further mark of respect, we will attend the funeral
of our deceased brother in a body.

Respectfully submitted,

James F. Wilson,
w. b. cclbektson,
M. A. McCoiD,
j. j. cummisgs,
Charles D. Leggett.
Resolutions of greater length, and teeming with
deep fraternal regard were adopted by tlie mem-
bers of the Clinton Lodge, of wiiich Mr. Acheson
bad for so many years been the presiding ofticer,
and one of the most active members.

l^^'

~*2A-

<^OSEPII YOUNG. The name of Young is
inseiiarably connected with the history of
Jefferson County, and Joseph and Mary
(Moore) Young are numbered among its
honored pioneers. It is with pleasure that we re-
cord their sketch in tiiis volume, for they have been
identified with the best interests of the city and
county, have been witnesses of almost its entire
growth and throughout the community are held in
high regard.

Joseph Young was born in Pennsylvania, No-
vember 21), 1800, and when a mere buy, lost his
mother, whereupon the family was broken up. and he
went to live with an uncle. Foi many years he fol-
lowed boating on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers,
but so dissolute were those engaged in that business
that he decided to free himself from such associa-
tions. Having arrived at years of maturity in Hiown
County, Ohio, in 1828, he was united in marriage
with Miss Moore, a native of Pennsylvania, born
November .3, 1807. In her girlhood she emi-
grated to Ohio with her parents, and remained in
the Buckeye State until her marriage with Mr.
Young. Shortly afterward, the young couple re-
moved to Jolmson County, Ind., and made a good
farm in tiie heav}' beech woods. In 1852, they be-

came residents of Jefiferson Count}', Iowa, where
they lived nine years, when failing health caused
their return to their old home in Indiana. There
the wife and mother died August 17, 18GG, but Mr.
Young survived until April 3, 1880, when he was
caUe<l to meet the loved one gone before. Both
were active and earnest workers in the Presbyterian
Church, and although their manner was free from
all ostentation and display, they accomplished much
good wiiieh certainly was not without result. Ex-
tremely conscientious, Mr. Young never allowed an
obligation to go unmet. Without political aspira-
tions, he was a life-long Democrat.

Their union was blessed with a family of nine
children, all of whom save Nancy J., the eldest,
have married and have families. She and Mrs. I.
D. Jones reside in Fairfield ; William M. is Mayor
of Blue Springs, Neb.; John N. resides in Keokuk
County, Iowa; Mrs. C. A. Jones, and Mrs. Mary
A. Wall, reside in Fairfield; Mrs. Samuel Parkhill
is living in Keokuk County; Jonathan is a farmer
of Indiana; and Joseph W. is a farmer of Kansas.

Livy Wall, the deceased husband of Mrs. Mary
A. Wall, was born in Brown County, Ohio, on the
31st of May, 1837. He traced his ancestry back
to one of three brothers who emigrated from Eng-
land to America during the earl}' settlement of this
country. The one from whom he is descended, ap-
: quired a tract of land, now in the lieart of Balti-
more, which rightfully belongs to his descendants,
as it has never been transferred. From Maryland,
Mr. Wall's immediate family found their way to
Pennsylvania, thence to Ohio, and finally became
residents of \'ermillion County, III. In Johnson
County, Ind., February 21, 1865, Livy Wall and
Miss Mary A. Young were joined in wedlock, at the
home of the latter's [)arents. Mrs. Wall is a native
of that county, and was born May 2, 1839. Upon
their marriage, they removed to Vermilion County,
III., where Mr. Wall successfully carried on farm-
ing and stock-raising. After a happy union of a lit-
tle over two years, he was summoned to the better
land. He died November 1 1, 18G7, leaving a wife
and one child, Ora L. M., who is a graduate of the
Female College of Jacksonville, III. In politics,
Mr. Wall was a supporter of the Democracy, and
in religious faith he was a Presb3'tei'ian.

250

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Four years after the death of her husband, Mrs.
Wall came to Fairfield, Iowa, where siie has made
her home continuously since. Both she and Miss
Ora are active members in the Presbyterian Church,
and have a large circle of friends among the best
citizens of the community.

jS-Ji^*i^--

H. WOODS is now living a retired life on
.-., his fine farm situated on section 31, Har-
// li^ risburg Township, Van Buren Count}'.

His home, a commodious brick dwelling?
is situated in the midst of seven hundred broad
acres that for 3'ears have yielded him a golden
tribute for his care and cultivation. Fences divide
tlie farm into fields of convenient size, good barns
and outbuildings shelter his stock, and the entire
surroundings are in keei)ing with the improvements
before mentioned. During the past few years,
however, Mr. Woods has laid aside the more ardu-
ous dutiis of farm life, being now in the eighty-
second year of his age and spends his time in rest
and quiet, enjoying the fruits of his former toil.
However, he is still rugged and active and trans-
acts all his own business. His farm he has mostly
seeded down to hay and [lasture, and tlic balance
he has rented.

Mr. Woods was born in Virginia, on the 11th of
August, 1808. His father, John Woods, was also
a native. of the same State and served his country
in the War of 1812. When our subject was a
babe he removed from Virginia to Ohio, vvhere he
worked at his trade of blacksmithing for manj'
years. He wedded Nancy Skillin, who was born
on the Emerald Isle, and when three years of age,
was brought bj' her parents to America. She died
when about sixtj' years of age, and Mr. Woods
died in Richland County, Ohio, at the age of eight}'
years. C)f their family of seven children, six
reached maturity — William, who was a medical
practitioner, died in Cincinnati, Ohio, aged fifty
years; A. H., of this sketch, is the second in order
of birth; John, who followed farming, died in

Richland County, Ohio; Hugh, a millwright liy
trade, died in Michigan; Archibald, who has trav.
eled extensively over this country, is now a resi-
dent of California; Margaret, the youngest, is de-
ceased .

Remaining under the parental roof until he had
attained his majority, A. H. Woods then left home
and started out in life for himself. Going to St.
Joseph County, Mich,, he worked in a gristmill and,
during his stay in that community, married Miss
Elizabeth Meek, a native of Ohio, and a daughter
of William and Fllizabeth (Johnson) Meek. Their
union was celebrated in 1834, after which Mr.
Woods purchased eighty acres of land, but still
continued working in the mill. Later he sold that
tract and bougiit four hundred acres of timber land
in St. Joseph County, which he sold after coming to
Iowa in the summer of 1837. The traveler of to-
daj' can scarcely imagine the condition of the
county at that time. The work of improvement
was scarcely begun, much of the land was in its
primitive condition, many of the now flourishing
towns and villages had not yet sprung into exist-
ence, civilization had made but little advancement,
in fact it was almost an unbroken wilderness. IMr.
Woods first pre-empted one hundred aud sixty
acres of land and, b^ purchase, added to it eighty
acres upon which he ouilt a log cabin. In pioneer
style the family began life in Iowa. Few comforts
found their way to their home in those earlier days,
and man}' of the inconveniences aud hardships of
frontier life were borne b}- the inmates of that
home. Not only had all the land to be broken, but
the implements with which the work was to be
done, were crude in character as compared with the
improved machinery of to-day. The nearest mill
was some miles away, and they had to go long dis-
tances to market, sometimes over almost impassible
roads. But all this is now changeil; waving fields
of grain now greet the eye in every direction, im-
provements have been made and the count}- is in-
habited by a well-contented and educated people,
wlio are justly proud of the home of their adoption
and the progress here made. Mr. Woods shared in
the general prosperity of the county and, extend-
ing his possessions, became owner of seven Inin-
dred and sixty-five acres of land all in one bod v.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

253

Eleven cbilflren were born to our subject and
his worthy wife, but four of tlie number have been
called home. Nancy A., the eldest, is now de-
ceased; William v., is a resident of California;
Robert M. is a farmer of Vernon Township, Van
Buren County; I^liiabetli is the wife of Lewis De
Hart, who resides near St. Louis, Mo., and is tlie
mother of six children — Clement, C. Loraine, Jen-
nie, Fannie. Clarence and Walter; Ellen is the wife
of E. W. Glasscock, of Bonaparte, Iowa, by whom
she has seven children, as follows: Charles, William,
Alex, Fannie, Edna, Jessie and Anna; Sarah L.,
wife of 11. B. Ednuindson, is living in Washington
Township, Van Buren County; Mary V. is de-
ceased ; Henrietta wedded J. Lefler, by whom she
has two children. Myrtle and Lena; Jessie F. is the
wife of S. P. Davis, and their union has been
blessed with six children, Leonard W., Estella (de-
ceased) Cass M., G rover C, F. Earl and Zula.

Mr. Woods is well known throughout the entire
county and has taken a prominent part in many
public affairs. In politics, he is a Democrat and,
as a delegate, he has frequently attended the con-
ventions of that party. He held the offices of
Justice of the Peace, School Trustee, etc., and par-
ticipated in the organization of the county with
which he has since been identified. As a friend
and neighbor, he is held in high esteem and has
the full confidence of all who know him.

.-S»63M-i!»2^Ji^^.iff«f-.^«ig<^

HOMAS S. MEALEY, M. D., whose home is
situated on section 11, Penn Township, Jef-

ferson County, has resided in Iowa since
the territorial days, the date of his coming being
1842. The name of IMealey is prominently con-
nected with the early historj' of the State. His fa-
ther was one of the large landowners of Washing-
ton County and for j-ears a prominent citizen of
that region. It was in 1740 that Lawrence Mealey,
the founder of the family in America, left his home
in Scotland and crossed the Atlantic to the New
World. He made a settlement in the colony of

Pennsylvania, near Carlisle, and followed farming
as a means of livelihood. When the war broke out
in which the people bravely battled for inde-
pendence, he enlisted in the ranks and at the battle
of Long Island was taken prisoner. However, he
was afterward freed and at the close of the struggle
was honorably discharged. He died in West Vir-
ginia.

Samuel Mealey, son of Lawrence and the father
of our subject, was born on the 1st of May, 1782,
ill Carlisle, Pa., and was one of seven children.
His early years were spent on a farm in West Vir-
ginia which his father had obtained with money re-
ceived for his services in the Revolution. He
received liberal educational advantages and was
graduated from William and Mary's College where
he was a schoolmate of Gen. Scott. He then studied
medicine in Philadelphia and embarked in the
practice of his chosen profession in Pennsylvania.
During the war of 1812, in which he served in the
One Hundred Twenty -second Pennsjivania Regi-
ment, he became one of the principal surgeons on
the northern frontier. Like his father he was a
faithful soldier and participated in the battle of
Lundy's Lane, Erie and Black Rock. The year
1840 witnessed his arrival in the Territory of Iowa.
He made a location in Dutch Creek Township,
Washington County', where he purchased five thou-
sand acres of land. He was worth some 140,000 —
a great amount at that day. In 1852, he sold his
land to his son and removed to Brightou, where his
death occurred February 17, 1875.

In Pennsylvania, Mr. Mealey was united in mar-
riage with Miss Margaret Blaine, whose father was
Ephiaim Blaine, a native of Scotland and an officer
in the British Army before he emigrated to Amer-
ica, lie was taken prisoner at the battle of Long
Island at the same time that Lawrence M. Mealey,
the paternal grandfather of our subject was cap-
tured. Mrs. Mealey was a great-aunt of the illus-
trious James G. Blaine. Her death also occurred
in Brighton at the age of seventy-nine years. Of
the four sons born unto that worthy couple three
engaged In the practice of medicine — Washington,
William and Thomas. The first named, who was
the eldest of the family, died in Oregon; James,
tlie second son, who followed farming, died in

254

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Jefferson County, and William flepaited this life in
Des Moines. The parents were life-long members
of the Presbyterian Church. In the various com-
munities where he resided, Mr. Mealey was recog-
nized as a prominent and influential citizen. He
was a stanch supporter of Democratic principles
and while residing in Pennsylvania was honored
with an election to the State Legislature. He felt
tlie greatest opposition to all secret societies, de-
siring to be connected with nothing which was not
open and above board. He was not afraid to have
his own acts questioned, for his life was one of the
strictest integrity and uprightness and his name
was above reproach.

"We now take up the personal history of the
fourth son of Samuel and Margaret Mealey, as the
one in whom the people of Jefferson County are
especially interested. The Doctor was born in
Perry County, Pa., on the 1st of January, 1818,
and spent his boyhood days in the school room,
where he acquired a good English education. He
made choice of his father's profession as a life work
and at the age of nineteen years entered the Jeffer-
son Medical College, after which he pursued his
studies in the Pennsylvania Medical College and
the University of Pennsylvania, all of which are
located in Philadelphia. At the age of twenty-one,
he was graduated and a year later made a perma-
nent location in Iowa. He had visited the terri-
tory in 1840, but in 1842 opened an ofHce in Wash-
ington County, where he practiced for two years.
He then removed to Brighton where he continued
to practice for some thirteen years, when he came
to Jefferson County and located upon land in Penn
Township, adjoining his present farm. An exten-
sive practice soon greeted him and he was recog-
nized as one of the leading physicians of the
county. lie also became owner of about eight hun-
dred acres of land which as the result of his care
and cultivation j'ielded him an excellent inctome.

Returning to his native State, in October, 1842,
Dr. Mealey was united in marriage with Miss Clara
GrifHth. but after a short married life she was
called home, dying of consumption. In Brighton,
in 1848. he was joined in wedlock with Miss Louisa
Carpenter, who died of cholera in July, 1854, and
in 1856, he was a third time married, the lady of

his choice being Miss Jane Parschall. Their union
was celebrated in Brighton and has been blessed
with a family of four sons and two daughters yet
living. They also lost one child — Charles, who was
horn in June, 1857, and was killed on the railroad
in New Mexico, in November, 1884; Ira, born in
Rlay, 1858, is engaged in mining in the Black Hills;
.Samuel born in February, 1859, is the owner of a
ranch in Oregon; Lake is the wife of William G.
Smith, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, his home
being in Golden; Blaine, born June 21, 1864, is a
painter of New Mexico; George, born May 10,
1866, is running a livery in Pleasant Plain; and
Gertrude, born April 3, 1876, is still at home.

Dr. Mealey has provided his childrfn with good
educational advantages, all having attended the
academy at Pleasant Plains. He and his wife are
members of the Presbyterian Church at that place,
and are numbered among its active workers, the
Doctor being one of the Deacons. In an early day
he was an Abolitionist and his home was a station
on the Underground Railroad. During the late war
the Doctor attended the families of soldiers free of
charge all the time. He cast his first Presidential
vote for Fremont in 1856, and has since been a
stalwart Republican, although not a politician. On
election day he generally deposits the first ballot
and then leaves the polls, not wishing to be mixed
up in the crowd which generally surrounds such a
place. He is always found on the side of morality
and the cause of temperance fin<ls in him a most
faithful friend. He supports all prohibition raove-
raents and was one of the most active workers in
support of the prohibitory amendment. As a citi-
zen he is public spirited and ready to aid in the
advancement of any enterprise calculated to bene-
fit the community, lie has taken part in the won-
derful development of the county and has aided in
its growth and progress. He lived in Washington
County when the Indians were so numerous that at
one time there were two hundred encamped in his
yard for a week, and after his removal to Jeffer-
son County an Indian lookout tree stood in his
field. He also had another encounter with the
Indians while on his w.ay to Colorado in 18G6.
The party were attacked one moonlight night at
Bovee Station, by a band of the red skins and in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

255

the encounter nine Indians were IviUed but tlie
w'niti; men lost none. Dr. Mealey is now living a
retired life, enjoying the fruits of former toil :ind
the respect and high regard of his neighbors and
friends.

AFT. WILLIAM McBETII, who for four
years gallantly defended the old flag during
the late war, and is now a prominent eiti-
zen of Keosauqua, Iowa, was born in ISpringfield,
Ohio, on the Sth of October, 1839, being a son of
John and Rachel (Kenton) McBeth. His father
was a native of rennsylvania, hut his mother was
born in the Buckeye State and a great grand niece
of Simon Kenton, the celebrated Indian warrior.
Tlie family of which our subject is a member num-
bered six children, live of whom are living at this
writing in 1890, William being the eldest; John
A., who served with credit in an Ohio regiment
duriniT the late war and is now living in Putnan
County, Ohio; James who was in the three months'
service, makes his home in Zanesfleld, Ohio; Sam-
uel, who was the bugler in the First Missouri Sharii-
shooters, died in the Buckeye State; Henry D. is a
lirinter of Eldora. Kan.; JNIatilda is now Mrs. Fos-
ter, of Kerry, Ohio. John McBeth was married pre-
vious to his union with Rachel Kenton, and by his
first wife had two children — Robert and Louisa.
His death occurred in 1852, but the mother of our
subject long survived him, dying in 1884. They
were both members of the Covenanter Church and
were hiohly respected members of the community,
where they made their home. Mr. McBeth, strongly
opposing the institution of slavery, earl}' became
an Abolitionist and his house was a station of the
famiius Underground Railroad. The sufferings of
manv a poor negro did he alleviate and then aid
him on his w.ny to Canada and freedom.

During the early years of his boyhood, Mr. Mc
Beth, our subject, attended the common schools
of Clark County, Ohio, during the winter season,
but when he was a lad of fourteen j'ears his father
died and, being the eldest of the family, the burden

of caring for his mother and the younger children
fell upon his tender shoulders. His education was
ttius necessarily brought to an end. for the heavj'
responsibility resting upon him would permit of no
time spent in the school room. The care of the
family was a hard task for one so young, but the
united efforts of mother and son kept the family
together, provided for their wants and educated
the smaller children. Thus nobly did he perform
the duties devolving upon him, and the same faith-
fulness and loyalty have characterized his subse-
quent career.

In 1858, with the hope of bettering his financial
condition, Mr. McBeth left his native State for the
West, and for eighteen months engaged in breaking
[Mairie in Clark and Coles Counties, 111. At the
expiration of that time, in the autumn of 1860, he
returned to Ohio where he spent the winter. A dark
cloud was then gathering over the country and the
low roar of its tliunderings was already heard
making many to fear for the future of the Nation.
Mr. McBeth watched with interest the progress of
eveuts, determined that if the South carried out its
threats of secession he would strike a blow for the
preservation of the Union. Ft. Sumter was fired
upon and scarce had the echoes of its guns ceased
to reverberate ere he offered his services to the
the Government, enlisting at the call for troops,
for three months' service in the Twenty-third Ohio
Infantry. The regiment, however, was mustered
in for three years but, not liking the captain of
his company, Mr. McBeth refused to muster. Soon
afterward he joined the boys in blue in Company
E, Eighty-second Ohio Infantry, and was mustered
in at Kenton. The regiment was ordered to West
Virginia and at the battle of Bull Pasture Mr. Mc
Beth was wounded. He was then sent home, but as
soon as possible he returned to tlie service and was
made Second Lieutenant in a company of the Forty-
fifth Ohio Infantry. At the siege of Knoxville he was
captured and remained a prisoner in the South for
sixteen months, during which time he fully realized
what it meant to be a cai)tive in the hands of the
rebels. He was incarcerated in Libby Prison for
five months, was confined at Macon, Ga., for six
months, at Savannah, one month, and the remain-
der of the time at Charleston and Columbia, S. C.

256

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Twice during the time he succeeded in making bis
escape but was both times recaptured, and at length
was exchanged at Wilmington, N. C. In the win-
ter of 1862-3, while at Lexington, Ky., Mr. Mc-
Beth was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant
and in the fall of 1863, while 3et a rebel prisoner,
was promoted to the rank of Captain. On being
exchanged he at once took command of his com-
pany and remained in the service until the close of
the war, when in June, 1865, he was mustered out.
On the cessation of hostilities, Capt. McBeth
returned to his home in Ohio, and in February,
1866, was united in marriage with Miss H. I. In-
ghram, a native of the Buckeye State. Immedi-
ately afterward the j'oung couple started for Van
Buren County, Iowa, where they have since resided.
Their home has been blessed by the presence of six
children, three of whom are yet living: Effle R.,
now the wife of the Rev. J. W. Potter, a Method-
ist minister, at present in charge of a church in
Burlington, Iowa; Paul IL, who is a printer by
trade, and Robert R. at home. Mrs. McBeth is
a member of the Congregational Church. They
have now been residents of this community for al-
most a quarter of a century and by their lives of
uprightness, actuated by worthy motives, they have
won the high regard of those with whom they have
come in contact. The Captain is engaged in the
hardware business. Capt. McBeth is independent
in politics.

B" *

ENJAMIN JOHNSTON, an attorney at law
of Keosauqua, is a native born Ilawkej'e,
f*j)))ll) his birth having occurred in Y.an Buren
County, on the 9th of March, 1845. The
famil}' is of Scotch origin and was founded in
America by Benjamin Johnston, Sr., the grand-
father of our subject, who with his family crossed
the Atlantic and settled in Petersburg, Va. He died
soon afterward and thus left to his widow the care
and support of four children, two sons and two
daughters, namel}': James, Jane, John and Mar-

garet. 'Mrs.\''Johnston with commendable en-
terprise, labored for lier^family 'and kept tiiem
all together. Not wishing to rear them]under the in-
fluence'of^slavery she removed^^to Luzerne County,
Pa., where the remainder of her life was spent.
She was a woman of |^more than ordinary ability
and won the respect and love of all who knew her.
James Johnston, a member of her family and the
father of our subject, was liorn in Scotland, March
17, 1816, and in his youth accompanied his parents
to America. He acquired such education [as was
afforded by a night school of the neighborhood,
having to^walk three miles to and from the school-
house, but he became a well-informed man, gain-
ing through observation and experience a practical
knowledge which could have been acquired in no
other way. He possessed much genius as a me-
chanic and could accomplish'alraost any task in that
line. On Octoberje, 1842, in Pennsylvania, he mar-
ried Miss Sarah Brown, daughter of Hugh Brown
and a sister of Judge Alex and John G. Brown,
cashier of the Mannings Bank. In 1842 they came
to Iowa locating in Keosauqua, where in company
with his father-in-law Mr. Johnston erected the
first steam mill in the count}'. His knowledge of
the business was so efficient that while in St. Louis
purchasing the machinery' for their mill he was of-
fered the superintendency of a large machine shop
in that city, the wages being $1200 per annum, a
large amount at that day. He had asked permission
to do a piece of work for himself in their shop and
his ready understanding of the same and evident
knowledge of the business led to the offer before
mentioned. He did not accept, however, but re-
turned to Keosauqua where he began operations
for himself. His death occurred soon afterwards
however, the final summons coming in October,
1845. In opposition to the other members of the
famil}', who were all Whigs, he supported the
Democratic party.

Benjamin Johnston was the onl}- child of James
and Sarah Johnston. He a(;quired his education in
the common schools and under the direction of
Rev. Dr. Lane, but on the breaking out of the late
war he laid aside his text books and responded to
the country's call for troops, enlisting in Company
E, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, on the 14th of October,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

257

1861. The regiment was mustered in at Keokuk,
Iowa, where it remained until March 18, 1862,
when it was sent to Benton Barracks and equipped.
The first engaojement in which the forces partici-
pated was the battle of Pittsburg Landing. Tliis
was followed by the seige of Corinth and othei en-
gagements and at tlie battle of luka they were in
the skirmish line but did not engage in the figlit
proper. They afterwards returned to Corinth, tak-
ing part in tlie iiard fought battle which occurred
at that place and later proceeded on the Grant
campaign until the supplies were cut off when they
returned to Mem()his, Tenn. They participated in
the seige of Vicksburg and spent the remainder of
the summer in the city. The following December
he and many of his comrades veteranized and later
he was commissioned First Lieutenant in the Sixty-
seventh United States Colored Infantry. Through-
out his entire service Mr. Johnston proved a
faithful and stalwart soldier who was not afraid to
perform his duty, but quietly and promptly dis-
charged every task devolving upon him. On the
14th of August, 1865, at his own request he was
discharged.

On his return from the South Mr. Johnston se-
cured a position as salesman in a drug house, after
which he went upon the road as a commercial trav-
eler. The summer of 1874, he spent in Kansas Init
the grasshopper proved such a plague that the same
fall he returned and once more obtained a position
as salesman. In 1875, he again traveled on the
road, after which he embarked in the drug business
for himself, continuing operations in that line for
eighteen months. He began preparations for his
present business in 1877, reading law under the di-
rection of Judge Robert Sloan and the following
April was admitted to the bar, since which time be
has been in active practice.

Mr. Johnston was married in Keosauquain 1867,
the lady being Miss Annie R., daughter of A. J.
Purviancc. Six children have been born unto
them — Maggie, who is a graduate of the high
school of Keosauqua and of the School of Phonog-
raphy, of Des Moines; James, a telegraph opera-
tor; Mary, Ella, Sarah and Donald, who are still
with their parents.

Socially, Mr. Johnston is a Mason, an Odd Pel-

low and a member of the Grand Army of the Re-
public. He takes great interest in civic societies
and has held important offices in the various lodges
to which he belongs. In 1886, he was elected
County Attorney of Van Buren County, serving
two years. In his political afflliatioTis he is a stanch
Republican, frequently serving as delegate to county
and State conventions and has been a member of
the State Central Committee. lie does all in his
power to advance the interests of the party and se-
cure its success, yet has never sought political pre-
ferment for himself. By those who know him Mr.
Johnston is held in high esteem, which he well merits
for he has lived a worthy, upright life, is a good
citizen, an able lawyer, and more than all, a trusted
friend in whom one can place im|)licit confidence.

OHN C. ABRAHAM, an intelligent and re-
spected farmer of Locust Grove Township,
Jefferson County, residing on section 1, is
^ a valued citizen of the community for he
labors for its best interests and gives his support
to everything calculated to benefit or advance the
general welfare. He has lived in the county since
three jears of age. He was born in Butler County,
Ohio, in 1839, and in a family of six children,
whose parents were Charles and P^lizabeth (Howell)
Abraham, was second in order of birth. His pa-
ternal grandparents, Lot and Susan (Griffin) Abra-
ham, were natives of Pennsylvania, and at an
early day emigrated to Ohio, whence they came
to Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1842. Locating in
Fairfield Township, Mr. Abraham made his home
on a farm, which he there developed until his
death, which occurred in 1852. His wife survived
him a number of years, dying in 1863. The ma-
ternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch
were John and Nancy Howell. Maryland was the
State of their nativity, but they became pioneer
settlers of Indiana.

Charles Abraham was born in Butler County,
Ohio. In the year 1836 he was united in marriage

258

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

with Miss Elizabeth Howell, anil after the birth of
Lot, who is now married and resides in Ottumwa,
Jolin, the subject of this sketch, and James H.,
they came to Iowa, raalving a settlement in Fairfield
Township, Jefferson County, but after a year they
removed to a chum in Locust Grove Township,
which was still the home of Mr. Abraham at the
time of his death, in 1877. His wife was called to
her final rest in 1882. James H. is married and
resides in Black Hawk Township. He enlisted, in
1862, in Company H, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, for
three years, received a shell wound during his service
and was discharged at Davenport, in 1865. Gritfin,
the next younger, is married and makes his home
in P'airfleld ; W. T. resides on the old homestead ;
Ciiarles is married and is now living in Polk
County, Iowa, whither he removed in March, 1890.

As will have been seen, our subject has spent
almost his entire life in this county. He was reared
among the wild scenes of pioneer days, with the
family shared in the hardships and struggles of
frontier life and was educated in the subscription
schools. At the age of twenty years he started out
in life for himself, but at the age of twenty-two
laid asldci the plow for the equipments of war. Re-
sponding to the country's call for troops, he en-
listed at Abingdon, on the 19th of August, 1862.
in Company H, T'hirtieth Iowa Infantry, for three
years' service. He was mustered in at Keokuk,
joined the Army of the Tennessee and participated
in the following battles: Atlanta, Chattanooga,
JIurfreesboro, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Moun-
tain, Kenesaw and Dallas. He was with Sherman's
army on the March to the Sea, took part in the
Carolina campaign, including the battles of Beau-
fort, Columbia and Raleigh, and participated in
the Grand Review at Washington, D. C, at the
close of the war. He was mustered out at Wash-
ington, D. C, about the 1st of June, 1865, and
on the 16th of that month was honorably dis-
c'.iarged in Davenport.

When hostilities had ceased and the result for
which they had struggled had come to pass, Mr.
Abraham returned to Jefferson County. The fol-
lowing year, in the month of August, he united
his destiny with that of Miss Kizzie E. Workman,
one of the fair daughters of Jefferson County.

Her parents were John and Delilah Jlelissa (Kerr)
Workman, natives of Kentucky and Tennnesse re-
spectively. In 1840, when a young man, her
father came to this county and, settling in Bu-
chanan Township, entered land and improved a
farm. His wife died at that home on the 16tli of
January, 1889, since which time Mr. Workman re-
moved to Fairfield, where he is now living.

Mr. and Mrs. Abraham began their domestic
life in Polk Township, but after two years removed
to Buchanan Township, where he lived for a year
or two. He then made a permanent location at his
present place of residence, where he has a highl}'
improved farm of one hundred and seventy acres.
Mr. Abraham is a [irogressive farmer, whose prac-
tical ideas and enterprising business methods rank
him among the leading agriculturists of the com-
munity. In his efforts to acquire a competence he
was amply assisted by his excellent wife, but in
1888 he was called u|)on to mourn her loss, she
dying on the 3d of May, after a lingering illness
of some ten months, leaving three children — .Min-
nie, Edward M. and Welday.

Mr. Abraham is a member of the Methodist
Church, of Brookville, belongs to George Strong
Post, G. A. R., of Fairfield, and in politics is an
advocate of Democratic principles.

,5i.at,.<'..^V.ii„ .6.-

Vw/OHN N. MORTON. We take pleasure in
presenting to the readers of the Album this
sketch of the life work of Mr. Morton, a
prominent merchant and farmer of Keosau-
qua, Iowa. He was born in Windsor County, Vt.,
July 30, 1832, and is a son of John Morton. His
father was born in Wellington, N. C, in 1795. of
English parentage, and when a lad of eleven y-ears
h^shipped as a cabin boy on a vessel loaded with
sugar for St. Petersburg. During the voyage the
ship was wrecked in the Baltic Sea and the greater
part of the crew was lost, but Mr. Morton, with a
few others, succeeded in gaining land. F'or a time

m

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

259

he then remained with a Dutch farmer, but the
spirit of advtnturc was strong within him, and
tiring of the dull routine of that life he again
boarded a vessel and followed the sea until twent_y-
two years of age. About 1817, landing at Cape
Cod, he there fcjund a party of emigrants en route
for Vermont, and joining the colony- he located at
Weathersfield, where he became acquainted with
and married Miss Silence Ranney. The following
year he removed to Rochester, Yt., where the
death of Mrs. Morton occurred in 1820. lie after-
ward wedded iMiss Polly IMorgan, a native of the
(ireen Mountain .State, and l)y their union were
born five children, who lived to mature years,
namely: Silence R., who became the wife of Milton
P.ackard, and is now deceased; Emeline, wife of
G. L. Chaffee, of Rochester, Vt. ; John X., of this
sketch; Mary K., wife of B. F. llackett, of Appa-
noose County. Iowa; and Calista F., wife of Henry
Moss, of Butte City, jMont. The father of this
family died in 1870, and his wife in 1888.

Our subject spent the days of his boyhood and
youth in the State of his nativity, where he .ac-
quired a good English education in the common
.and select schools. Studious t)y nature, and pos-
sessing a retentive memory, he soon mastered the
common branches, and at the age of eighteen em-
barked in teaching, being employed at West
Rochester, where he received §10 per month and
'•boarded 'round," in the manner common at that
day. Having thereby acquired some funds, the
following winter he entered the Bethel Lyniinis
School, but before the term had exi)ired his health
gave way, and for nearly a year he was confined to
his bed. As soon .as he had partially regained his
strength he entered the store of Briggs ife Price as
a salesman, remaining with that firm eight months,
after which he was employed in that same capacitj',
in wh.at was known as the '• Union Store," for three
years, at $75 per year. It was in 1856 that Mr.
Morton came West in search of health and fortune
on the broad prairies of the Mississii)pi Valley. He
first made a location in Galesburg, 111., and secured
a position in an establishment where thirteen clerks
were employed, but he being the newcomer was
forced to beai- all the drudgery, and had -to give
up the position as his constitution was not able U>

bear the strain thus placed upon it. He then re-
solved to seek his friend. Dr. Guernsey, who was
living in Van Buren County, Iowa. He made his
way by rad to Mt. Pleasant, then the terminus of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Road, and by
stage proceeded to Keosauqua, arriving at his des-
tination in 1856. The first night in Van J5uren
County he sp >nt under the roof of .James Shepherd,
one of the early settlers, who kept a hotel or public
house.

The following day Mr. Morton sought out his
friend, and by the succeeding Saturday had made
a permanent location in Van Buren County, hav-
ing secured the position of teacher of the school in
what was known as the Joseph Moore district.
After teaching through the winter season, in the
pring of 1857 he embarked in the mercantile busi-
ness, o[)ening a sm.all general store in Lebanon.
In January, 1858. he came to Keosauqua, where he
formed a partnership with Mr. Gaines, the con-
nection continuing until the fall of the same year,
when they sold out. The same autumn Mr. Mor-
ton purchased a stock of drugs, and formed a
partnershi), 'with Dr. (iuernsey, they continuing
business together until the spring of 1866, when
Mr. Morton purchased his partner's interest, and
has since been alone. As time h.as piissed he has
added different departments to his store, and now
has one of the largest general stores in the city.
Since 1858 he has been connected with the mercan-
tile interests of Keosauqua, and throughout the
county is widel}' and favorably known as a man of
sterling worth, upright and honorable in all his
dealings. His coui'teous treatment and desire to
please his customers h.as secured for him a liberal
patronage, and the establishment of which he is the
head, ranks among the leading business interests of
the community.

In the fall of 1865, in Bridgewater, Vt., Mr.
Morton was united in marri.age with Miss Emma
V. White, daughter of Gilbert and Viola White,
who were residents of that place. They are mem-
bers of the Congregational Church, and occupy a
high position in the social world. Mr. Morton
may truly be called a self made man, as his success
is due entirely to his own efforts. His life may
well serve as an example to young men who, like

260

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

hiraself, have to enter the world with no capital
save the talents with which nature has endowed
them. It may well encourage them to renewed
efforts when reverses overtake them, and like a
beacon star in the sky of the future point the way
to success. As to all, reverses came to him, but
by a determined will, industry and enterprise he
overcame such disadvantages and worked his waj'
upward to a position of affluence, and through all
his honor has remained unsullied, and no one in the
community stands higher in the estimation of his
fellow-citizens than does J. N. Morton, of Keo-
sauqua.

^_^ ON. .JOHN WILLIAMSON,Superintendent
of the County Poor Farm of Jefferson
County, was born in Penrith, Cumberland
^ County, England, December 2,t, 1822. His
father, Richard Williamson, was a stonemason by
trade and a weaver of fancy goods, but followed
the latter occupation during the greater of his life.
He married Margaret Patterson, a woman of ex.
cellent qualities of head and heart, and at her knee
young John received the rudiments of education,
for he never attended school, except Sunday-
school. But throughout life he has been a student
and has acquired a valuable fund of knowledge
which many having the advantages of scholastic
training, might well envy. When fourteen years
of age he was deprived of the loving influence and
care of his mother who died at the age of forty
years, leaving five children, three sons and two
daughters. Only one of his brothers came to the
United States, Hiram, who crossed the waters in
1850, and is now a boss weaver in Massachusetts.
Late in life his father also came to America where
lie spent his last days, his death occurring in Fair-
(i>-M. Iowa, Novembei 13, 1860, twelve days be-
fore his sixt3'-seventh birthday.

When a lad of eleven years John Williamson
learned the weaver's trade with his father and eon-
tinue<l to follow that pursuit during his residence

in his native land. On the 8th of May, 1851, he
married Susan Marsden, a native of Yorkshire,
England, born December 16, 1818, and on the six-
ty-fifth anniversary of American independence they
sailed for this country. After a voyage of six
weeks on the In'iny deep, they i-eaehed Boston Har-
bor in August, 1851. Going to Dover, N. H., both
Mr. and Mrs. Williamson began work in a factory,
for their money had all been expended on the trip
and something must be done immediately to pro-
vide for their support. During four years of la-
bor and saving, they had acquired enough to enable
them to make an investment in western lands and
with that purpose in view they came to Jefferson
County in May, 1855, where they purchased fifty
acres of prairie land, four miles west of Fairfield.
It had taken the proceeds of seven years of labor in
England to bring the young couple to the United
States, whereas, as the result of four years labor in
Dover, they cleared nearly $1000 or enough to buy
a comfortable home. By industry and economy
they afterwards extended the boundaries of their
farm, until now one hundred and twenty acres pays
to them a golden tribute in return for the care and
cultivation bestowed upon it.

In Keosanqua on the 30th of October, 1856, Mr.
Williamson became a naturalized citizen of Amer-
ica, since which time, he h.as been a stanch supporter
of Republican principles. He has always taken an
active interest in public affairs and at the time the
county board consisted of one supervisor for each
township, he was appointed to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Mr. Hampson, and was
elected the succeeding term. In 1881, he made
the race for the Legislature on the Republican
ticket. The question submitting the prohibition
amendment was then the all important issue. He
w!ts asked his views and in a letter to the prohibi-
tion club of Pleasant Plain, he announced his de-
termination to favor submission. The Republicans
published his letter and so did the Democrats, by
tacking it up in public places and in saloons where
their partisans would be certain to see it. The
county was thoroughly aroused and though the
Republican majority was only about one hundred,
Mr. Williamson carried the daj' by a vote of four
hundred and thirty-two above his opponent. In

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

263

the Legislature he f1id some i^ood work. He took a
stand against the industrial bill wliich proposed to
make the State Agricultural Soeiety a State institu-
tion, and b}' his personal influence defeated it. In
1886 he was selected from some six candidates
as Su|)erintEndent of the Count\' Farm and should
have assumed the duties of the position March 1,
1887. Owing to the mismanagement and the extreme
dissatisfaction given by his predecessor, Mr. Wil-
liamson vvas substituted before that time. Under
his efflcient management the cost of conducting the
farm has been greatly rednced, an<l almost without
an exception lie has found favor in the eyes of all
the citizens of the county. During the war he
served a short time as commissary for the home
guards, the stores consisting of five gallons of
brandy. (P. fi. He was not a Prohibitionist at
that time.)

As a public speaker Mr. Williamson is in great
demand, whether at Old Settlers Associations, in
political campaigns or as a Fourth of .July orator.
His speeches abound in native eloquence and in-
vincible logic. His maiden speech vvas made in
Burlington, Iowa, where he nominated M. A. Mc-
CuicI for Congress. He takes an active part in po-
litical conventions and is said, by those who have
been pitted against him. to be a hard man to out-
general. Under the disadvantages of poverty and
lack of educational opportunities Mr. Williamson
had to fight his own battles, and is, in tiie truest
sense of the word, a self-made man.

1^^ MITH BALL, of Fairfield, a pioneer of Jef-
^^^ ferson County, was born in Madison County,
|(\/Jl) Ky., on the 29th of July, 1810, and is a son
of John and Nancy (Adams) Ball. His fa-
ther was a native of Virginia, where he was reared to
manhood. Crossing the line into North Carolina, he
there became acquainted with, and married Miss
Adams, and subsequently removed with his wife to
Kentucky. He was a well-to-do farmer, and a
worthy and respected citizen. His death occurred

when our subject was twelve years of age, thus
leaving to his widow the care of a family of eleven
children, numbering four sons and seven daughters.
Mrs. Ball managed to keep her children together,
and provide for their wants until they could care
for themselves, and after they had homes of their
own, she spent her time with the different members
of her famil3-, living to an advanced age.

Our subject is the only survivor of the once large
family, and he has now attained to the advanced
age of eight}' years. His early life was spent in his
native Slate, where he recpived a common-school
education. As soon as he was old enough, he took
upon himself the management of the home farm,
.and continued its care until 1829, when he went to
Sangamon County, III. During his residence there
he frequently saw Abraham Lincoln, then a j'oung
lawyer just entering upon his professional career.
Mr. Ball entered forty acres of land, and again re-
sumed the occupation of farming. About this time
considerable trouble with the Indians occurred, and
in 1831 lie went on a campaign against the Black
Hawk tribe, going as far as Rock Island. The fol-
lowing spring he was again engaged in Indian war-
fare, the campaign continuing eighty days, during
which time two battles occurred, one on the Wis-
consin River, and the other at B.ad Ax, on the Mis-
sissippi.

On the loth of June, 1837, Mr. Ball was united
in marriage with Rebecca Moffett. who was born in
Fayette County, Ky., Febrnary 27, 1814, and a
daughter of George and Rebecca (Gilkisson) Mof-
fett. Virginia was their native State, and in the
Old Dominion their marriage was celebrated, but
later they removed to Kentucky, and about 1823
became residents of Sangamon County, III., where
the mother died. Mr. Moffett subsequently re-
moved to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where his death oc-
curred in 1864. In their family were ten children,
of whom three daughters are now living.

More than half a century has elapsed since Mr.
Ball first set foot oi Iowa soil. In the autumn of
1839, he crossed the Father of Waters, and located
in Mt. Pleasant, but in April of the following year
he came to Jefferson County, and settled in Round
Prairie Township, where he bought about one hun-
dred and forty acres of land. He and his worthy

264

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

wife began life on the Western frontier in true pio-
neer style, tlieir home being a little log cabin 14x14
feet. Soon afterward, however, he erected a frame
dwelling. 16x18 feet, »»ith a stone chimne}-, a palace
it was thought in those days. In his farming ope-
rations Mr. Ball prospered. He is industrious, en-
terprising and progressive, and thoroughly under-
standing his business, he has met with a degree of
success of which he has just reason to be proud.
He kept adding to his land until at one time his
possessions aggregated five hundred acres, three
hundred and seventy of which he still owns, the en-
tire amount being well improved and cultivated.
Each year he added to his capital, until at length,
having acquired a comfortable competence, in 1883,
be retired from business life, and took up his resi-
dence in Fairfield, where he is now living in the
enjoyment of the fruits of former toil.

To Mr. and Mrs. Ball have been born eiglit chil-
dren: Ann, wife of William Case, a resident farmer
of this county ; Melissa, wife of George Phillips,
who is also engaged in farming; Nancy J., who
died at the age of twenty-two years; Sarah, who
died in infancy; George W., a legal practitioner
of Iowa Citv; Cassandra, wife of Richard Fisher, a
farmer; Lewis C, who is also engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits; and Frank P., who follows the same
business.

Mr. Ball has served his township as Justice of
the Peace, and has also held the office of County
Commissioner. He was an Odd Fellow for a num-
ber of 3'ears, and helped organize the lodge at Glas-
gow, Iowa, but is now an non-attiliated member.
In his political views he was formerly a Democrat,
'but since 1876 has voted with the Prohibition
party. Both Mr. Ball and his wife are members of
the Christian Church, and are numbered among its
faithful supporters. Tiiis worthy couple have trav-
eled life's journey together as man and wife for the
long period of fifty -three j-ears. They began in a
humble way with little which they could call their
own, reared a family of eight children, and were
forced to overcome many of the difficulties of fron-
tier life. Their lives have been darkened b}' sor-
row, yet have been brightened by joy, they have
met with reverses, yet their prosperity has been
greater, and hand in hand they have traveled earth's

journey, placing their dependence in the Father of
all, until at length they have reached a peaceful old
age, where they may rest from the toils of life, sur-
rounded by loving children and warm friends.

mOMAS L. HOFFMAN, one of Fairfield's
//^S>jv esteemed citizens, is a representative of
v^^^ one of the older families of this city. His
parents, Philip and Margaret (Lewis) Hoffman, lo-
cating in Jefferson County, in 1845, are numbered
among its honored pioneers. Tracing the ancestry
of the family back through several generations, we
find that the great-grandfather of our suliject, ac-
companied by a brother, emigrated to America
prior to the Revolutionary War. He was a Pres-
byterian clergyman, and was the father of seven
sons, the youngest of whom, Peter Hoffman, is the
next in the line of direct descent. Me married
Barbara Anthony, who was a native of Maryland,
although her ancestors came from near the border
line of Switzerland and France. Peter Hoffman was
a potter by trade, and lived to the age of sixty-two
years, while his wife reached the age of sixty-four
years. They were the parents of nine children, of
whom the youngest and only one living, is the fa-
ther of 'Our subject.

Philip Hoffman first opened iiis eyes to the light
of day in Lancaster, Pa., May 4, 1815. In his
youth he was not surrounded by many advantages,
his opportunities for securing an education were
limited, and at the early age of fifteen years, he be-
gan learning the carpenter's trade, serving an ap-
prenticeshi|) of three years. At the expiration of
that time he commenced work as a journeyman in
Detroit, Mich. In 1832, he was employed in Chi-
cago, at that time a mere hamlet, where property
could be obtained at a nominal price. Almost any
where in Illinois he could get an acre of land for a
diiy's work. As a car|)enter on a boat, he went
down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, but the
cholera was prevailing, and he returned. Proceed-
ing up the Ohio to Cincinnati, he went to Batavia,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

265

an inland town, hoping to escape tlie disease, but
liardl}' had he reached the place, when the fatal
jilague l)roke out. On he went to Pittsburg, but
the disease had become so prevalent in that city,
tliat no one w.as allowed to stop, so he returned to
Huntingdon. In that city, on the 16th of March,
1836, he wedded Margaret Lewis, a native of Mon-
mouthshire, England, born Novemlier 20, 1817.
Her parents, John and Klizabelli Lewis, spent their
entire lives in tiie old country where her father en-
gaged in merchandi- ing. Miss Lewis came to the
United .States when al>out fourteen years of age.

In 1845, accompanied by his wife, Mr. Hoffman
reached Fairlield, where he worked at his trade of
carpentering forty years. Many residences still
stand as monuments of his industry, and a portion
of the Leggett house was erected by him. Like his
father, he advocated the principles of the Whig party
iintil the formation of the Republican part}', when
he espoused that cause, being still one of its adhe-
ents. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church.
For the past fifteen years she has been afflicted with
total blindness, but bears her afHiction with Chris-
tian fortitude.

In the family of Philiii and Margaret Hciffman
were eight children, as follows: Dr. William, the
eldest, practicing physician of Sigourney, Iowa,
served nearl}' three years as surgeon in the Navy
d I. ring the late war, and toward the close was made
surgeon in charge of the squadron of the Tennes-
see; Thomas L. is the next 30unger; Isaac served
nearly four }-ears in the late war as a member of
Company F. Third Iowa Cavalry; Isaiah, who was
in the border service, died in his twenty-second
year; Henrietta is the wife of J. A. Montgomery;
Emma is the wife of T. Y. Morrison; Alice died
when nineteen years of age; Jlargaret, the young-
eft, died in childhood.

We now come to the immediate history of the
suliject of this sketch, Thomas L. Hoffman, who
has been prominently identified with the history of
Fairfield, and her business interests. He was but
six years of age at the time of the removal of his
'parents to this city, and hence his education was
acquired in her public schools. He was born in
Huntingdon, Pa., on the 24th of August, !S39, but
memory takes in only his residence in his adoi)ted

State. His early education was supplemented by a
course in the P'airfield University, of which he is a
graduate, but prior to attending college and dur-
ing his vacations, he worked at the plasterer's trade,
and upon the completion of his collegiate course
he entered the law office of Slagle & Acheson, be-
ing admitted to practice in the district courts early
in 1861. He was not destined then to engage in
practice, events were shaping themselves otherwise,
and the time of the Civil War was drawing near.
Hardly had he been admitted to the bar, before hos-
tilities began, and twelve days after the firing upon
Ft. Sumter, he enlisted in Compan}' E, Second
Iowa Infantry, his regiment being the first to leave
the State for the scene of conflict. He partici|)a-
ted in the three noted battles, Ft. Donelson, Shiloh,
and Corinth, besides man)' minor engagements,
coming out unscathed, and after a faithful ser-
vice of three years, was discharged in Louisville,
' Ky., May 28, 1864.

Immediately after being mustered out of service,
I Mr. Hoffman returned to his home, and in 186.5
' sought a location in the West. He settled in Brown-
j viUe, Neb., where he was admitted to practice in
' the United States District Court. Meeting Charles
D. McGutfy, son of the author of the school books
bearing that name, together the two visited Salt
Lake City, Arizona. Montana, Oregon, and British
Columbia. Except in Montana, where he engai^ed
in mining. Mr. Hofl:'mau ran a pack train. In 1868,
he returned to Fairfield, and for seven years car-
ried on contracting and building. He then en-
gaged in the insurance business, and held the office
of Justice of the Peace for some years. In 1882, he
was appointed by President Arthur, Postmaster of
Fairfield, and continued to serve in that position
for more than four years. Change of administra-
tion caused him tt) be superseded by an adherent
of the party in power, and once more he turned his
attention to contracting, having charge of the con-
struction of some important works, including the
superintendeney of the building of the wagon fac-
tory of Turner & Co., in which he also placed the
machinery.

In Fairfield, on the inili of June, 1868, a mar-

j riage ceremony united the ilestinies of Thomas L.

Hoffman and .Miss Ellen King, who is a native of

266

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Clinton, IlL, and a daughter of Dr. J. E. King.
Unto them has been born one child, Ella. Socially,
Mr. Hoffman is .a Knight Templar Mason, and a
member gf the Eastern Star, to which his wife also
belongs. Politically, he is a Republican. His cir-
cle of friends nnd acquaintances in Jefferson County
is large, and includes many who have been wit-
nesses of ii'S career from boyhood, which fact indi-
cates that he has led a useful and respected life, and
is now regarded as a wortliy citizen.

♦^^E

(il IfelLLIAM DUNWOODY, retired, one of the
\rj// early settlers of Fairfield, claims Pennsyl
^^ vania as the State of his nativity. He was
born in Somerset County, on the 1st of March,
1811, and is a son of Robert and Susanna (Realim)
Dunwoody. Little is known concerning the early
history of the family except that the father was of
Scotch-Irish descent, and the mother a descendant
of German ancestry. Robert Dunwoody made
farming his chief occupation through life, but was
a great admirer of and always kept on hand a
nnrabor of fine horses. His marriage was celebrated
in the Keystone State, but about 1817, he left the
East and removed with his family to Ohio, settling
near Coshocton, whence he afterward removed to
Columbus. In the Buckeye State he was engaged
in running freight wagons, hauling freight from
Cincinnati and other cities to Philadelphia. He
lived to the age of sixty years and his widow after-
ward became the wife of Austin Groodrich, with
whom she came to Iowa about 184S. They settled
in Van Buren County, where the death of Mrs.
Groodrich occurred when some seventy years of age.
By her first marriage she had six children but our
subject, who was the fourth in order of birth, is the
only one known to be living. She also had six
children by her second marriage.

William Dunwood}''s early life was not sur-
rounded with many advantages. The educational
privileges afforded him were such as the common
schools provided, and he was permitted to attend

little after attaining the age of nine years. At that
time his mother and step-father removed to a farm
and he remained at home assisting in the cultiva-
tion of the land until twenty-two years of age,
when he went to Columbus to learn the tinner's
trade. Previousl}' he had acquired a practical
knowledge of tinner's tools in his step-father's shop
and after two j'ears spent in Columbus his em-
ployer informed him that he was master of the
business. His proficiency enabled him easily to
obtain positions and he worked at the business in
Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, Chillicothe, Mo., and
other cities.

One of the most important events in the life of
Mr. Dunwoody occurred in Delaware, Delaware
County, C)hio, where on the 21st of May, 1837, he
led to the marriage altar Miss Sarah Murphy, who
was born in Zanesville, Ohio, April 10, 1815, and is
a daughter of Patrick and Amelia (Ruekel) Murphy.
Her parents were both natives of Limerick, Ireland,
where they married. Two children were born to
them in that country and about 1812 they emi-
grated with their family to America, locating in
Pennsylvania. Their deaths occurred in the same
year in Columbus, Ohio, the husband being about
fifty years of age, and his wife forty-six. In their
family were eight children.

In May, 1849, Mr. and Mrs. Dunwoody became
residents of Fairfield, then a mere hamlet. In those
days they used grease lamps instead of electricity,
and many other adjuncts of pioreer life were found
in their home. Mr. Dunwoody established a bus
line and successfull}' engaged in that buisness for
some years, but at length misfortune overtook him
and he lost almost everything he had. In his po-
litical sentiments he was formerly a Whig and cast
his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay, but since
the rise of the Republican party he has identified
himself with that organization. For nearly forty
years he has been connected with the Odd Fellows
society, and he and his wife have been faithful
members of the Episcopal Church through almost
their entire lives.

To this worthy couple were born seven children,
but four of the number died in childhood. Will-
iam P., the eldest of the surviving ones, was edu-
cated in Griswold College, of Davenport, subse-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

267

quently held a position in the Treasurj' Department
at Washington, D. C, and later was graduated from
the law school of Washington. He was with the
great Jay C'ooli at the time of the failure of that
gentleman; was a member of the National Board
of Health, and is now connected with the Equitable
Life Insurance Company of New York City; Capt.
H. H. C, the next younger, was graduated from
the Millitary School of West Point in 1866, and is
employed in the United States Signal Service office
at Washington, and is a member of tlie regular
army. Rising steadily step by step, he was at,
length promoted to the rank of Captain in June,
1889; Francis M.,the youngest child, completed
his education in Washington, I). C, and for eight
years has been em|iloyed in the revenue service.

Mr. and Mrs. Dunwoody cannot boast of great
wealth amassed, but f)f their children they have
reason to be proud. They have toiled and deprived
themselves of comforts in order to give their boys
the best possible opportunities, and in return their
sons show the greatest consideration for their loved
parents, leaving nothing undone that will add to
their comfort.

(j'SAIAH MESSENGP:R, senior member of the
1] firm of Messenger & Raney, manufacturers of
Ih, tile, of Fairfield, rank's among the enterprising
business men of that flourishing little city, where
he has now made his home for eleven years. In
Madison County, N. Y., on the '25th of January,
1841, he was born. His parents, Samuel and Eu-
nice (Miner) Messenger, were both natives of Con-
necticut, and tlie father was of Welsh descent.
During youth, both children emigrated with their
respective families to the Empire State, where they
grew to maturity, and were married. About 1838,
they removed to Chicago, and entered one hundred
and sixty acres of land, now comprised within the
corporation limits of that city, but on account of
sickness they removed to the Buckeye .State, mak-
ing a settlement in Madison County. Mr. Mes-

senger operated a farm, ran a woolen mill, engaged
in the manufacture of potash, and carried on other
lines of industry, including a dry-goods store. He
was a wide-awake and competent business man,
sagacious, far-sighted and energetic, and as a re-
sult, met with success in almost every undertaking.
He had also taught school in earlier life, and be-
came an excellent scribe. He never aspired to offi-
ci.ll positions, but was an ardent Whig until the
dissolution of that party, when he became a stanch
supporter of Republican principles. His death oc-
curred at about the age of sixty years,'after which
Mrs. Messenger came to Iowa and spent her. last
days in Des Moines County. She also had attained
her sixtieth year at the time of her death. In their
family were seven children, five of whom, three
sons and two daughters are yet living.

The subject of this sketch, Isaiah Messenger, wag
the fifth in order of birth. He received such edu-
cational advantages as the common schools of that
day afforded, and was reared to farm life, assisting
his father until twenty-one years of age when he
launched out in business for himself. The year
1863 witnessed his arrival in Des Moines County,
Iowa, where he was exclusively engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits for six years. In 1869, in con-
nection with his farm work, he began making tile
by hand process, capacity two thousand per day.
With increased patronage, he enlarged his facilities
until he owned a good steam power factory with a
capacity of about ten thousand three-inch tile. Af-
ter ten jears he determined to change his place of
location, and on selling out in 1879, came to Fair-
field, where he formed a partnership with William
Elliott in the manufacture of tile, to which he had
formerly devoted a part of his time. They built a
plant which they have improved until they can
turn out fifteen thousand three-inch tile per day.
In 1886 Mr. Elliott sold his interest to Mr. A. C.
Raney, and the firm became Messenger & Raney.
They find a ready sale for their product over Iowa,
ISIissouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, and furnish em-
ployment to sixteen hands. Mr. Messenger is also
interested in the raisin business in Fresno County,
Cal.

While a resident of Des Moines County, Mr.
Messenger, on the 22d of February, 1866, formed

268

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALRUM.

a matrimonial alliance with Kate Bandy, a native
of Des Moines County, Iowa, and a daugliter of
Joiin and Maiy (^^1nice) Bandy, wiio were among
the early settlers of that county. They became
parents of four children, but two died in infancy,
and Maggie lived to be only eleven years old.
Otis is the only surviving one. They also have an
adopted daughter. Miss Mary Bandy, who finds a
pleasant home with her adopted parents. Both Mr.
Messenger and his wife are members of the Presby-
terian Church of Fairfield, of which he has been
Trustee for ten years. He has ever sup|)orted the
Republican party, having cast his first Presidental
vote for Abraham Lincoln, and feels a deep inter-
est in its success. His residence in Iowa covers a
period of twenty-seven years, the greater part of
which time has been spent in Des Moines and Jef-
ferson Counties, where by his upiight life and fair
dealing he has won many friends who esteem him
highlj' for his sterling worth and strict integrity.
The firm of which be is a member, owns about five
acres of land, and has invested about 814,000 in the
plant. Mr. Messenger has the entire management
of the business. No enterprise has added more
materi«!.lly to the prosperity of the county than the
above tile works, and much credit is due him who
established and has so successfully carried on the
business.

,^p*i HARLES DAVID, a worthy pioneer of Jef-
llf ferson County, now living a retired life, has

^^^^ been a farmer, hotel keeper and hardware
merchant. His residence in the county dates from
Januarjs 1840, and during the half century which
has since elapsed he has ever proved a loj-al and
worthy citizen. Mr. David is a native of Pennsj'l-
vania, his birth having occurred in Center County,
that State, on the 8th of March, 1818. His father.
Carpenter David, was born in Vermont, of Scotch
descent. Having arrived at years of maturity, he
wedded Miss Blary Miller, who was born in Pliila-
delphia, of Irish parentage. When Charles was an

infant, they removed to Wayne County, Ohio,
wiiere his boyhood days were passed. He spent his
time in the usual manner of farmer lads, and in the
district schools of the neighborhood acquired a
good English education. In 1837, we find Mr.
David a resident of Lawrence County, now Rich-
land Count}', 111., where he continued to make Ills
home until January, 1840. As before stated, that
3'ear witnessed his arrival in Iowa, and Fairfield
was so fortunate as to secure him for a citizen. He
was accompanied by John W. Culbertson, now de-
ceased, also an honored pioneer, who had lived
neighbor to Mr. David in Ohio. The latter worked
at the carpenter's trade for a year, and then pur-
chased a claim situated about a half mile from the
city limits.

On the 7th of March, 1841, Mr. David led to the
marriage altar Miss .Sarah A. Hurt, a daughter of
William Hurt, and a native of Adair County, Ky.,
where her people were early settlers, having emi-
grated from Virginia to that State. Afterward
they came to Lee County, Iowa, and in 1838, set-
tled in Glasgow, Jefferson County. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. David were born the following childi-en, five
of whom are yet living: Edward A., the eldest, died
at the age of fourteen 3-ears; William died in the
twentieth year of his age; Cora D. is now the wife
of R. E. Gaines, a resident of Colorado; Elizabeth
is the wife of W. F. Burns, who is living in New
Mexico; Alice wedded Thomas H. Hurst, a resident
of Hastings, Neb.; Lucy makes her home in Colo-
rado; and Charles B. is in Hastings, Neb.

In 184.5, Mr. David abandoned his agricultural
pursuits which he had followed through the pre-
ceding four years, and turned his attention to hotel
keeping. He also engaged in the livery business,
and carried on the two lines of industry for seven
years, when in 1852, he again bought land. This
time he continued his farming operations for eleven
years, at the expiration of which time he returned
to Fairfield, and spent the succeeding four years in
shipping stock. In this, as in his other enterprises,
he was quite successful, meeting with the reward
which results from industrj', and the exercise of
correct business principles. Again changing his
vocation, he devoted his time and attention to the
hardware business through the succeeding six years.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

269

after which he again shipped stoclc and workeii in
various other lines. His business prospered, and
he necumulated considerable property, but through
others he has since lost heavily. His reverses, how-
ever, were due in no degree to mismanagement or
carelessness on his part. In fact his career lias been
characterized b)' energ3", good management, and the
exercise of correct business principles.

In political sentiment, Mr. David is a Democrat,
and in 1867 was honored with the ortice of Mayor
of Fairfield. He was also candidate for County
Sheriff. Socially, he is a nieir.lier of tlie Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Masonic frater-
nity. He gives liberally to the support of churches,
is a warm friend to education, and his aid is never
solicited in vain for tlie advancement of any worthy
enterprise. He is a public-spirited man wliora all
esteem.

"^f/AMES GILiNIER, deceased, was one of the
earliest pioneers of Jefferson County, Iowa,
having located in what is now Round Prai-
rie Townsliip, in the spring of 1837, and
prior to the organization of the county. A native
of Kentucky, he was born in Woodford County,
November 1, 1784, and was the son of James and
Jane (Hill) Gilmer. His parents were natives of
Virginia, and of Irisli descent. In 1783. only
eight years subsequent to the first settlement of
Daniel Boone, at Booneville, Mi. Gilmer's parents
omigrateil from Virginia to Kentucky, and settled
in what is now Woodford County, but at that time
the region was an unbroken wilderness inhabited
only by wild beasts and wilder Indians. They lived
in a block house, and were in constant danger from
the hostile red men. It was in the autumn of the
following year that James Gilmer was born. Dur-
ing his youth the family removed to Adair County,
and he was reared in that communitj', and when
the War of 1812 broke out, enlisted as a loyal
American soldier. About the 1st of January. 1814,
lie was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Allen, widow of
William Allen, whose maiden name was Elizabeth

Tilford. She was born in Virginia, December 24,
1784, and by her former marriage was the mother
of two children, a daughter and son. The daugli-
ter, Sarah Ann, who was born September 25, 1810,
married Samuel S. Walker, came to ^what is now
Jefferson County, Iowa, in the fall of 1836, and is
now deceased. The son, William II. Allen, was
born March 4, 1812, and died in Kentucky when
quite young.

Mr. and Mrs. Gilmer were parents of seven chil-
dren, as follows: Benjamin Franklin, born October
16, 1814, came West to Jkugan County, III., in
1833, but returned to Kentucky in the fall of 1835.
In the spring of 1836, he returned to Illinois, lo-
cating in McDonough County, where he was en-
gaged in selling goods. In 1837, he brought a
small stock of general merchandise to Jefferson
County, Iowa. During the following winter, he
disposed of the goods, and in the spring engaged in
farming, in company witli his father and brother,
Robert T., and continued in that occupation until
the time of his death, which occurred October 24,
1843. Jane Hill Gilmer, was born December 4,
1815, and became the wife of S. S. Ross, a pioneer of
Jefferson Count}', who died in 1857. His widow is
now a resident of Fairfield. Robert Tilford, the
next younger, was horn January 21, 1817, married
Annie C. Scott, and is now residing in Fairfield;
Mary Ann, born December 18, 1818, is the wife of
James L. Scott, a resident of Des Moines; Thomas,
who was born November 3(1, 1820, died at the age
of eight years; James Alexander and P^rmine Esta,
both died in childhood.

Accompanied by his family, Mr. Gilmer started
for Iowa in the fall of 1836, traveling in the primi-
tive manner of that da}- with horses and oxen. Day
after day tliej' pursued their journe}', camping out
at night until they reached McDonough County,
111., where they spent the winter, and in April, 1837,
crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa. They set-
tled in what is now Round Prairie Townsliip, Jef-
ferson County, where some of their relatives had
located the autumn before. The entire settlement
consisted of not more than a dozen families, and in
true i)ioneer style they began life on the Western
prairies. Mr. Gilmer made a claim, purchased oth-
ers, and at the land sales in Biiilington, in Novem-

270

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ber, 1838, entered seven hundred and twenty acres
which he subsequently incrensed by purchase. He
was enterprising and industrious, labored diligently
to improve his land, and was known as a prosper-
ous and successful farmer.

In politics, Mr. Gilmer was a Whig in early life,
and greatly antagonistic to the institution of slav-
ery, so that when the Republican party was formed
to prevent its further extension, he immediately
joined its ranks. He was one of the early Asses-
sors of his township, and also served as Justice of
the Peace. A resolute, earnest man, he was indus-
trious and frugal in his habits, and strictly upright
and honorable in all things. His death occurred in
Round Prairie Township, in 1862. His wile, who
was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church
died in 1865.

.V-v^Tj^JL-

-^

'ar^

<ifjOHN WILLIAMS, one of the honored pio-
neers of Jefferson County, is living on sec-
tion 8, Penn Township. He was born in
Champaign County, Ohio, October 24, 1812,
but was reared in Logan County. His father,
Henry Williams, waj a native of Grayson County,
Va., where his boyhood days were passed. He re-
moved to Ohio, in 1811, married Nancy Paxson,
and for many years was aresideot of Logan County.
By occupation he was a farmer, and followed that
business throughout his entire life, becoming quite
wealthy. He lost his wife in 1848, but bis own
death occurred not until 1870, at an advanced age.
They were the parents of a familj' of nine children:
John, of this sketch; Sitnah and Almeda, deceased;
William and Obadiah, who are residents of Hardin
County, Ohio; Lemuel, who makes his home in the
same county; Henry, a resident of Logan County;
Lydia, deceased wife of Alexander Ireland, and
Newton, of Oiiio.

The eldest child of the family is the one in whom
the citizens of Jefferson County are especially in-
terested. He spent his early life upon his father's
farm, and obtained his education in the subscrip-

tion schools common at that day. On reaching
man's estate, he left the parental roof, and on the
8th of December, 1836, was joined in wedlock with
Miss Harriet Smith, a native of Kentucky. The
young couple began their domestic life upon a
rented farm, and in Ohio, Mr. Williams continued
farming operations until 1840, which year wit-
nessed his arrival in the Territory of Iowa. He
chose Jefferson County as the scene of his future la-
bors, and here entered a claim, but in 1842 he left
it for his present home, which at that time was an
unimproved quarter section. Not a furrow had
been turned, a fence built, or a building erected
thereon. It was still in its primitive condition, but
Mr. Williams at once put up a log cabin, and with
characteristic energy began the development of the
hitherto wild land. The result of his efforts is a
good farm which now pays a golden tribute for the
care and cultivation bestowed upon it. Mr. Will-
iams is now living a retired life, enjoying in ids
old age the result of long years of usefulness and
labor.

Although the trials and hardships incident to pio-
neer life fell to the lot of our subject, and although
the task of developing a farm from wild land was
no easy one, Mr. Williams overcame these disad-
vantages. His first great trial came to him in 1845,
when he was called upon to mourn the loss of his
wife. They had but just begun to realize some
profit from their labors, and the future was indeed
bright, when the angel of death threw his dark
shadow over the household. Four children were
left to share with the father his bereavement: Jesse,
who was born in December, 1837, and is now en-
gaged in farming in Dakota County, Neb.; Milton,
was born in September, 1839, and resides near
Jesse; Newton, a resident farmer of Penn Town-
ship; and Jonathan, who is located in Dixon
County, Neb.' In 1847, Mr. Williams married Miss
Martha A. Mills, but after nineteen years of wed-
ded life, she too passed away leaving a family of
four daughters: Mary J., wife of Samuel Roberts,
of Nebraska; Elraa, wife of James M. Jones, of
Dixon County, Neb. ; Nancy, wife of John Wycoff,
who is managing the farm for her father; and
Laura, wife of Perry Cole of Pleasant Plain.

His views being in harmony with the principles

THE NEW YOPV ,
PUBLIC LI6RAHY

ASTOR, LENOX
-Ife£a.:OUNBATION8

C. E. NOBLE

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

273

of the Whig party, Mr. Williams cast his first vote
for Henry Clay. Strongly opposed to the institu-
tion of slavery, he later befame an Abolitionist,
was aftervvanl a Free-Soiler, and when the Repub-
lican party was formed to prevent the furtlier ex-
tension of slaver}', he joined its ranks, and has since
continued to Bght, a valiant soldier, under its ban-
ner. He has often represented his township in tlie
county conventions of his party, and lias faithfully
served in the offices of Township Trustee and .Jus-
tice of the Peace. His residence in Jefferson
County covers lialf a century, and therefore he has
been a witness of almost its entire growth. Any-
thing pertaining to its advancement he is deeply in-
terested in. It has been the scene of his business
successes, and the stage upon whicli he has i)lajed
the part of an honorable, upright man, winning the
confidence and respect of all. In his declining
}'ears he can look back over the past and feel no
great regret for unimproved opportunities or time
unworthily spent, but has the consciousness of
knowing that his character has been unuiarred by
anything which would detract from a clean and
worthy record.

»-^*^-i 5

f/ ON. CHRISTIAN E. NOBLE, attorney and

Yi Justice of the Peace, lias been a resident of

Fairfield since October 15, 1846. He was

Sj) born in Blair County, Pa. on a farm, which
was owned by his paternal grandfather |)rior to the
War of the Revolution, and which was also the
birthplace of his father. That farm is the present
site of tlie city of Altoona. The birth of Mr. No-
ble occurred on the "20th of January, 1825, his par-
ents being John and Elizabeth (Crane) Noble.

Our subject received a common-school educa-
tion, and learned the ealiinet-maker's trade, which
he followed after his emigration to Fairfield in
1846. He was married in this city on the 6th of
December, 1849, to Aliss Zilphia K. Rees, a daugh-
ter of Joel S. Rees. The lady was born near New-

ark, Ohio, and came to Iowa in the spring of 1847.
Eight children blessed their union, three died in
infancy and five grew to mature years, three sons
and two daughters, as follows: Leroy C, the eld-
est, who was married three limes, his present wife
having been Miss Frances J. Moore, is a druggist
of S|)ringHeld, Mo. ; Laura May is the wife of John
Smeaton, and resides in Arkansas; Artemus Oliver
is living in Philadelphi?; U. S. Grant is single, and
makes his home near Walla Walla, Wash.; and Lil-
lie Grace is the wife of Albert Oswald, of What
Cheer, Iowa. The wife and mother died March 9,
1886. On the 6th of July, 1890, Mr. Noble was
united in marriage with Miss Lena Paine, a native
of Massachusetts.

Mr. Noble was a Whig in early life, and later be-
came a supporter of the Republican party. He was
elected to the office of Justice of the Peace in the
fall of 1856, and being re-elected, served until
1862. In 1856. he was also elected a memljer of the
Lower House of the Iowa I^egislature, and proved
an able representative of the people. For several
years he carried on the undertaking business in
Fairfield, and also engaged in the manufacture of
sash for a time, but desiring to give his attention
to professional work, he studied law, and was ad-
mitted to the bar in the district court of Oskaloosa,
on the 4tli of March, 1881, entering upon the pr.ac-
tice of his profession in Fairfield. In the fall of
1886, Mr. Noble was once more elected Justice of
the Peace, and again re-elected in the fall of 1888,
a fact whicli establishes beyond a doubt his trust-
worthiness and ability. He is an Odd Fellow of
forty-three 3'ears standing, and holds membershi|)
in Jefferson Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F., being the
second oldest surviving memlier of that organiza-
tion, with which he became connected in the spring
of 1847. In his religious views Mr. Noble inclines
toward the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
which numbers among its members several of his
brothers, his brother G. W. beingan ordained min
ister of that denomination. Mr. Noble helped to
organize the Old Settlers' Association, drew the
first draft for a constitution for that bod}', and was
elected a Vice-President of the societj'. He also
helped to form the first library association in Fair-
field, and was ics first Secretary. He has lieen an

274

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

active and useful member of the community in
wliieh liu lias resided, Jand is esteemed as a gentle-
man of sterling worth. In the otHce of a justice he
is known at his best — prompt, experienced, fair in
his rulings, and correct in liis business methods.

*

/ OHN NOBLE, a pioneer of Jefferson County
of 184.5, was born in Blair Count}', Pa., on
the 17th of Fel)ruary, 1796, on a farm, wliich
had come into the possession of tlie famil}'
l)rior to the Revolutionary War. He was married
in his native Slate in about the year 1818, to Miss
Elizabeth Crane, a native of Ple.asant Valley, Blair
Count}-, Pa., born in 1797. Mr. Noble was a
farmer, and was engaged in that vocation in Penn-
sylvania until 1815, when he emigrated with his
family to the Territory of Iowa, and settled in
Fairfield, continuing his residence in Jefferson
County, until his ileatii. By his union with Miss
Crane, a large familj' of children was born, consist-
ing of nine sons and one daughter, and all the sons
are living except one who was accidentally killed,
the eldest being seventy years of age, the youngest
fifty. Samuel, the eldest, was twice married. He
lost his first wife in Pennsylvania, after which he
came to Iowa in 1846, married a Miss JShepler, and
now resides in Albia; Abraham C, aged sixty-nine
years, has been twice married, and is living in Fair-
field Township; Martha B. Madden was the name
of his second wife; John S., who is sixty-six years
of age, and resides in Arkansas, married for his
first wife Eliza J. Beck, and after her death Wedded
Mary Nordick; Christian E., who is sixty-five years
of age, is represented elsewhere in this volume;
William W. married Emma Iledrick, and was acci-
dently killed in a mine in 1860, at the age of thir-
ty-four years; Benjamin F.. a twin brother of Will-
iam, married Miss Dunn, and lives in Montgomery
County, Iowa, at the age of sixty-four; George W.
aged sixty-two, resides in Arkansas; David A.
aged sixty, married Miss Arnold, and makes his
home in Albia, Iowa; Margaret J., aged fiftj'-sevcn.

widow of Jacob Ash, is living in Dallas, III.; Ed-
ward M., aged fifty, is married and lives in Albia.
The tallest of the nine brothers was six feet, and
the shortest five feet and ten inches; the heaviest
weighed two hundred and thirty pounds', and the
lightest one hundred and sixty. Originally, they
were all AVhigs. and later all Republicans. Six
brothers and a sister came to Jefferson County, in
1845 with their parents; C. E. and John S. arrived
the following 3'ear, and Abraham ('.came in 1863.
Mr. Noble was a Whig in early life, and like his
sons, advocated Republican principles on the or-
ganization of the part}-. He was an industrious and
worthy man, and his death, which occurred on the
17th of February, 1871, at the age of seventy-five
years, was deeply regretted by many friends. His
good wife survived him only a few months, dying
August 30, 1871. Both were members of the Luth-
eran Church.

- or^

/ILLIAM H. McCRACKEN is now engaged
in farming and stock-raising on section 11,
Black Hawk Town-ihip. Few men in Jef-
ferson County are more widely known and none
are held in greater esteem among their friends than
the subject of this sketch. He has won for him-
self an honored place and has made a record of which
he may well be proud.

Mr. McCracken was born and reared in Iowa, his
birth having occurred in a little log cabin near
Pleasant Plain, on the 26th of July, 1846. The
family is of Scottish origin. The great-great-grand -
father of our subject was born in mid- ocean while
his parents were en route for America. The grand-
father of William was a native of North Carolina
and emigrated from that State to Morgan County,
Ind., where he followed farming for many years,
but in 1843 he resumed his westward journey and
became a resident of the Territory of Iowa, locat-
ing in Washington County, west of Brighton, where
he spent the remainder of his days, his death oc-
curring; in January, 1880. His wife long preceded
him to her final rest, having passed away in 1858.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

275

Throughout the entire community in which he made
Ills home Mr. McCracken waslsnown and respected.
He was a man of considerable influence in Wash-
ington Count}', and served for several terms on the
Count}- Board of Supervisors and also in township
offices. In iiis youth lie accepted the faith of the
Society of Friends and his life was in harmony
with his religious professions. He cast his ballot
with the Whig party during the earlier years of his
manhood, but later became a stalwart advocate of
Republican ))rinciples.

Hiram JlcCrncken, a son of the foregoing gen-
tleman and the father of our subject was born in
Indiana, March 3, 1822. He was reared to farm
life and received but limited educational advan-
tages but in later years greatly overcame that detri-
ment by reading and observation. On January 25,
1841, he was united in marriage with Miss Dinah
lladley of North Carolina, who was tai;eu by her
parents to Indiana when a child of four years.
Previous to his marriage, Mr. McCracken had
visited Iowa and located land one mile east of
Pleasant Plain and shortly after his union was cele-
brated he brought his young bride to the new home
and erected a log cabin in whicli they began their
domestic life. Devoting his entire time and atten-
tion to the cultivation of his farm, his efforts were
attended b\' prosperity and a comfortable home
resulted. In Ai)ril, 1865, he left his first purchase
and removed to lUack Hawk Township, buyiiig one
hundred acres on section 12, where he resided until
his death October 15, 1889. His wife siill survives
him and is making her home in Pleasant Plain. Ten
children were born unto that worthy couple, eight
of whom are yet living. William of this sketch is
the eldest of the family; Enos H. is now a resident
of Sheridan County. Kan.; John S. is living in
Dixon County, Neb. ; Sarah F. is the wife of Dr.
C. F. Wahrer.a practicing physician of Mt. Ilamill,
Lee County, Iowa; Olive wedded J. T. Kirkpatrick,
of Nebraska; Hannah, who is a successful teacher
of the county, makes her home with her mother in
Pleasant Plain; Hiram is also at home, and Anna is
the wife of II. K. Kirkpatrick, of Dawson County,
Neb.

Hiram McCracken, tlie father of this family, was a
man of sterling worth, who by his fellow-citizens

and all who knew him was held in the highest re-
gard. As a pioneer settler of Jefferson County,
he deserves no little credit for the active part
which he took in the upbuilding and the promotion
of her interests. The cause of education found in
him a special friend and while President of the
School Board of Penn Township, he was instru-
mental in improving the condition of the schools
to a great extent. He served in the ollice of Trus-
tee of Black Hawk Township, and was Librarian of
the Friends Church Library, of Pleasant Plain, for
many years. He devoted himself wholly to any
work which he undertook and in consequence ac-
complished his purpose. He possessed good business
ability, was fair and honest in all his dealings and
true to every trust imposed in him. In his po-
litical affiliations he was a stalwart Republican and
was several times a delegate to the county con-
vention of his party but never sought juiblic pre-
ferment for himself. Conservative and reticent
in expressing his views, he vvas yet a man of strong-
convictions and nothing could swerve him from
the path of duty. For forty years he was a mem-
ber of the Society of Friends, and with the con-
sistency of that sect he lived a pure, honorable and
noble life, and of him it may be said that the world
is better for his having lived.

William McCracken, whose name heads this
sketch, is an Iowa man, born and bred. He attended
the public schools of Jefferson County in his youth
and later graduated from Whittier College, of Sa-
lem, Henry County, completing the scientific course
in that institution. In the intervals of study or
during his vacations, lie aided his father in the la-
bors of the farm but at the age of eighteen years
he began life for himself as a teacher in the i)ublic
schools of the county and engaged in educational
work from December, 1864, until IMarch, 1880,
with marked success. It is said that there is a work
suited to each one and if the}' engage in that work
they cannot but be successful, and it would seem
tliat Mr. McCracken had found the labor suited to
him when he engaged in teaching, yet he has been
equally successful as a farmer and stock-dealer. In
1872 and 1873 he served as Superintendent of the
' schools of Jefferson County, proving an etticient
I and capable ofliccr and for four years he has also

276

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

been President of the School Board in his town-
ship. Wiiat he has done for the educational inter-
ests of this community cannot be told in a sentence
but the history of his work is written upon the
lives of those who were students under him.

On August 12, 1S80, Mr. McCracken was joined
in wedlock with Miss Rebecca J. Jones, one of his
former pupils and a lady of culture and reflnement.
She is a native of Keokuk County, a daughter of
Thomas and Mary Jones and a niece of I. H. Crum-
ley. The following day after his marriage, Mr.
McCracken took his young bride to their present
home on section 11, Black Hawk Township, where
they have now resided for ten 3'ears. Their union
has been blessed with a family of six sons: Martin
L., born October 2, 1881; Stacey, October 25, 1882;
Pliny, April 20, 1884; Dymond, August 13, 1885;
Charles S., May 9, 1887; Linnaeus, Februarj" 3,
1889.

Mr. McCracken now devotes his attention to
general farming and stock-raising and is doing an
extensive business in the latter line. He feeds
nearly all the grain he raises to his stock and keeps
on band fine grades of horses, cattle and hogs. In-
dolence and idleness are utterly foreign to his na-
ture, and possessing untiring industry and zeal he
is sure to accomplish whatever he undertakes, un-
less hindered by some cause beyond his power to
avert. His fellow-citizens recognizing his worth
and ability have honored him with several local
offices including that of Justice of the Peace and
other township offices, in addition to those already
mentioned. Hn is an influential member in the
councils of the Repul)lican party, is generall}' a del-
egate to the county conventions and has also been
in the State conventions of his party, yet although
he feels a deep interest in the success of Republi-
canism, he liimself has never sought for political
preferment, having little desire to hold office, yet
when called upon to represent his fellow-citizens in
local positions he responds cheerfully and dis
charges his duties with promptness and fidelity.
Firm convictions backed by a talented mind and
strong will, fit him for leadership, and the promi-
nent position which he occupies in the community
is justly deserved. Every enterprise calculateil to
advance the general welfare receives his hearty sup-

port and co-operation. Both Mr. McCracken and
his wife are members of the Society of Friends and
are faithful workers for its interests. He is the
presiding officer of the quarterlj* meeting and ha«
served in other minor positions in the church.

HARLES M. McELROY. Postmaster of Fair-
r field, Jefferson Count3', and proprietor and
publisher of the Fairtield Tribune,yrtLS born in
Oswego,N. Y., February 1, 1852, and on the paternal
sideisof Scotch-Irish descent. His father, William
McElroy, was a native of Ohio, but his mother,
whose maiden name was Helen M. Parsons, was also
born in Oswego. In early childhood our subject
accompanied his parents to the city of New York
and thence to Kilbourn City, Wis. In 1858, the
family came to Iowa, settling in the eastern part of
Muscatine County. The father was a teacher and
the subject of our sketch was educated under his
tutelage. In 1861, another removal was made, the
family locating on a farm near Fairport, where the
husband and father died on the 1st of February,
1868, leaving a widow and four children.

Charles M. was the only son, and at the time of
his father's death was but sixteen years of age. He
at once went to Muscatine and entered the old
Courier newspaper office, where he learned the
printer's trade, continuing work in that line and at
that plRce until 1870, when he went to Des Moines,
to take a position in the Leader office. He made
up the first forms for the Daily Leader and was in
that office several years, after which he was engaged
on the Iowa Stale Register. At the expiration of
that time he joined J. E. Cleary in the publication
of the Indianola Tribttne, that connection continu-
ing for a little less than a year from the spring of
1877, when Mr. McElroy sold out and returned to
Des Moines. Once more he was employed in the
Register office and int he winter of 1877-78 reported
the Iowa Senate for the Leader. The following
year he was one of two local editors for that paper.
In March, 1879, Mr. McElroy came to Fairfield

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

277

and became in-oprietor, editor and publisher of the
Fairfield Tn'biine,v;h\ch he has since conducted with
satisfaction to his patrons and some profit to liini-
self. His management of the Tribune has been on
the lines of legitimate publishing business princi-
ples and his editorial course has been conservative
and fair, winning for him the respect and esteem of
tlie better class of liis fellow citizens regardless of
party afliliations. Tlie Tribune is a six cokiran
quarto, Democratic in politics and is a liriglit news-
paper, devoted to the best interests of P'airlield and
Jefferson Count}'. The office was established in
1847, but has since changeil hands several times
and the paper has also changed name; still the Tri-
bune is the legitimate successor of the first paper
publisheil in .Jefferson Count}'. On the lOth of Jan-
uary, 1887, Mr. McElroy vvas commissioned Post-
master of Fairfield, which position he still holds,
being in his fourth year in that service. He has de-
voted his time exclusively since his appointment to
the duties of the office and has left the editorial
and business management of the Tribune to F. B.
Taylor.

On the 2nd of September, 1885, in Plattsmouth,
Neb., Mr. McElroy was united in marriage with
Miss Alice R. Pollock, a daughter of Thomas Pol-
lock. She is a native of Pennsylvania and by their
union three children have been born — two sons and
a daughter, namely : Hugh Murray, who was born
June 2, 1886; Thomas Pollock, born October 8,
1887, and Helen Louise, born January 27, 1889.

■^ AMES GATLIN, a highly respected citizen
of Pleasant Plain, Jefferson County, claims
Tennessee as the State of his nativit}-, hav-
ing been born in Lincoln County, in 1817.
His father, Dempsey Gatlin, was a native of North
Carolina, and resided in South Carolina, Georgia,
and subsequently in Tennessee. He served in the
War of 1812, under Gen. Jackson, and partici-
pated in the battles of Pensacola and New Orleans,

where a most signal victory was gained. On the
return of pface he took up his residence in Ala-
bama, where he remained for five years, when, in
1822, he became a resident of Sangamon County.
III. Nine j'ears later he took up his residence in
Tazewell County, of the same State, but after thir-
teen J'ears, in 1844, we find him located in Wash-
ington County, Iowa. Purchasing land from the
Government, he there engaged in farming until his
death, which occurred on the 26th of May, 1854.
He had learned the trade of saddle-making and coop-
ering, but engaged in agricultural pursuits during
the greater part of his life. His marriage took place
in Tennessee some time prior to the War of 1812,
the lady of his choice being Miss Sarah Martin,
whose parents were natives of North Carolina.
Her death occurred in 1845, and the following-
year Mr. Gatlin wedded Sarah Hiatt, who was
called to her final rest ere her husband passed
away. By the first union were born thirteen
children, eight of whom grew to maturity, namely:
Sina, now deceased; Hardy, who is living int'arth-
age. Mo.; Nathan B., who died in Illinois; James,
of this sketch; George W.. deceased; Isaac, who
enlisted in an Illinois regiment and died during
the service near Nashville, Tenn. ; Dempsey and
Sarah deceased. The other members of the familj'
died in infanc}'. The father of the above men-
tioned children was a man of many excellencies of
character, whose consistent Christian life won him
the high regard of all with whom he came in con-
tact. In his earlier years he was a member of the
Baptist Church, but later united with the Christian
Church. He was an ardent admirer of his old Gen-
eral, Andrew Jackson, and supported the Demo-
cratic party until 1840, when he cast his ballot for
William Henry Harrison.

The first six years of his life our subject spent in
his native State, and then became a resident of Ill-
inois, where he was reared to manhood upon a
farm. That State was then but sparsely settled,
and in consequence the educational advantages
which it provided were very meagre. Mr. Gatlin
probably never attended school for more than
twelve months, but experience and observation
have proved useful teachers to him. Like a duti-
ful son, he assisted his fatljer in the cultivation of

278

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the home farm until iweiitj'-four years of age,
when he left the parental roof and began life for
himself, his first work being in a woolen mill,
where he remained two years. He was married is
in 1842. after which he bought land and turned
his attention to farming, continuing operations in
Illinois until 1850, when he sought a home in the
new State of Iowa. Purchasing his father's farm
in Washington County, he made his home thereon
until 1879, when he laid aside the duties of farm
life and removed to Pleasant Plain, which has
since been his home. For six years he conducted
a hotel in the village, bnt is now living a retired
life, having in former years by industr}-, good
management and perseverance acquired a compe-
tence, which now enables him to la^- aside all busi-
ness cares.

Following the footsteps of his father, Mr. Gatlin
cast his first vote for William Henry Harrison,
and affllialed with the Whig party until the ftirma-
tion of the new Repuljlican l)arty, he supporting
its first candidate, John C. Fremont. Having
made his home for some j'ears in Sangamon
County, 111., he became personally acquainted with
both Lincoln and Douglas, and has often heard
them speak on the i)olilical issues of that daj'. Only
once since 1856 has he wavered in his allegiance
to the Republican party, he having voted for Peter
Cooper. He also entertains the strongest Prohibi-
tion sentiments and labored earnestly for the in-
terests of the amendment. He is a member of the
Grange, and religiously, is a member of the Chris-
tian Church, to which his wife also belongs, he
being an Elder in the same. As a citizen, he is
true to every duty devolving upon him, and in
both the social and business world ranks high.

As before stated, Mr. Gatlin was married on the
11th of October, 1842, his union being with Miss
Virginia Smith, and unto them were born two chil-
dren— Eliza Jane, born September 6, 1843, is now
the wife of John Blickensderfer, who resides on a
ranch in Wyoming; Francis Marion, born Decem-
ber 27, 1844, wedded Miss Mary J. McCauley, of
Washington County, Iowa, and is living in Smitli
County, Kan. The death of the mother occurred
in the year 1846, and the 21st of September, 184-7,
witnessed the marriage of Mr. Gatlin and Miss

Nancy Vawter, daughter of Elliott and Anna Vaw-
ter, the former a native of Virginia and the latter
of Kentucky, where their wedcling took place. They
became residents of Todd County, Ky., where
they spent theii last (Lays. Blrs. Gatlin was born
in that State, August 10, 1824, and by her mar-
riage became the mother of nine children — Vir-
ginia A., who was born in Tazewell County, 111.,
September 25, 1848, became the wife of George
Allen and after his death wedded J. W. Jones,
general auctioneer and farmer of Lenox, Iowa;
Sarah S., born May 20, 1850, is the wife of George
Carroll, a wholesale hardware dtaler and promi-
nent business man of Sioux City, who also travels
upon the ro.ad as a salesman; Kate L., born Ma}'
10, 1852, is the wife of Henry Fitzhugli, who
is a resident of Colorado; Pet E., born Octo-
ber 11, 1854, is the wife of D. R. Bealty, a
stock raiser of Wyoming; Sina E., born November
19, 1856, is the wife of Aaron Pickard, of Pleas-
ant Plain; Jephthah I)., born November 27, 1857,
married Miss Mattie Dunn and is carrying on a
livery stable in Brighton; Maggie M., born July
8, 1860, is the wife of Jlorlon Gibbins, of Rich-
land County, Wis ; Marj' C, born October 4,
1862, is the wife of A. J. Coleman, of Ft. Collins,
Colo., who is editor of a paper at tiiat place; and
Emma J., born Feluuary .3, 1865, is the wife of
Frank B.George, of Colorado. The children were
all provided with liberal educational advantages,
and six daughters of the family have engaged in
teaching school.

^-^^i<^i*

<jf' OHN S. DOLE, a carpenter of Fairfield, Jef-
ferson County, was born on September 22_
1829, in Clermont County, Ohio, and is a
i(®y/ son of Joseph and Slargaret (Baum) Dole.
His paternal grandfather was a native of New Jer-
sey, but for many years followed farming in Cler-
mont County. His family numbered sixteen chil-
dren, twelve of wliom, sis sons and six daughters
grew to mature years. B^our of the sons became

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

279

ministers in the Metliodist Episcopal C'luireli.
Joseph Dole, whose birth occurred in Egg Harbor,
N. Y., accompanied iiis parents to Ohio in hisyoutli.
Having attained to the }'ears uf manhood, lie
wedderl Louisa Woods and unto them were born
five children, four sons and a daughter, but Joseph,
the youngest, who is a farmer of Jeffeison County,
is the only one now living. After the death of his
first wife, Mr. Dole married Miss Baum, who was
born in Pennsylvania. Her parents however were
natives of Germany and she was one of nine chil-
dren, four sons and five daughters.

The year 1848. witnessed the emigration of
Joseph Dole and his family from Ohio to the Hawk-
eye State. One of his sons had died in the Mexi-
can War and on account of his service the father
was granted a land warrant which he located in Fair-
field Township. Later, he purchased a faim in
Liberty Township, on which lioth he and liis wife
spent their last days. Daring the War of 1812 Mr.
Dole served as a drummer boy and accompanied
Harrison in the battle of Tippecanoe. He was also
a stanch friend of the Union and during the late
war attended all the rallies and mass meetings,
stirring the boys with the roll of his drum. His
political sentiments were in support of the AVliig
party in early life and when the Republican party
sprang into existence, he joined its ranks. He lived
an exemplary life, honored and respected by all
men and for some years served as a local preacher
in the Methodist Church, of which his wife was
also a member. The death of Mrs. Dole occurred
in 1863 and two years later he was also called to
the final home.

John 8. Dole, whose name heads this sketch is
the second in order of birth in a family of ten chil-
dren, consisting of six sons and four daughters,and
tiie oidy one living in Jefferson County. He was
reared to farm life and received a very meagre
education prior to his fifteenth year. The family
was in limited circumstances and as soon as he had
attained a sufficient age he had to provide for his
own maintenance. From the time when he was a
lad of fourteen j'ears he worked as a hand in the
harvest field and at the age of twenty he left home
to seek his fortune in the West. In company with
three J'oung companions — Bryant Young, .Samuel

Dickson and Lemuel Clark, on the 8th of April,
1850, he began his travels and on the 22nd of May.
the party crossed the Missouri River near the pres.
ent site of the city of Omaha, ferrying themselves
across in wagon beds. At that ])oint they joined
a company in which there were one bundled and
eighty wagons, with from three to seven yoke of
cattle, and each containing from three to five men.
while in the entire company there was but one
lady, the wife of Martin Nichols of Jefferson
County. Five days later the company was divided,
and the division which Mr. Dole and his parly
joined consisted of twenty-five wagons. Thej'
ferried the Platte River at Ft. Laramie, then made
their way over the rugged Black Hills. At South
Pass in the Rocky Mountains it was found that
cholera h.ad broken out in the crowd and one man
Addison Wheeler died of the disease. The com-
pany there separated, each going his own way. Mr.
Dole's partner lay sick for three months and he
waited for him, doing double duty all liie time at
Lee's encampment in the Blue Mountains until his
friend died. The cattle he here traded for ponies,
Mr. Dole receiving a third of the number with
which he crossed the Cascade Range, reaching Ore-
gon City, on .September 22, 1850. Later he engaged
to ctiop one thousand cords of wood for $700, and
when his task was completed he started for Cali-
fornia with $1,100 in his pocket, but a clever fellow
stole his money and he was forced to return to
wood chopping. Subsequently he made his way
to the Williamette Valley, where he spent almost
twenty-five years. He did a good business in trad-
ing stock and also owned an excellent farm of two
hundred acres.

Mr. Dole's life has certainly been an adventur-
ous and exciting one and he has met with many in-
teresting experiences and become familiar with the
various phases of western life. For eighteen months
he engaged in Indian warfare, during which time
he participated in some ten or twelve skirmishes.
That was in 1855 and 1856, and in 1858 he made
a trip to Caraboo, British Columbia and to Alaska.
The western coast of North America has been well
traversed by him, and in his journeyings he has
gained a knowledge of men and the world which
could never have been attained by reading or

280

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

study. He [^made] f.irming and stock-raising liis
principal occupation while on the Pacific coast, but
in 1874 disposed of his possessions in the West
and returned to Jefferson County, Iowa, where he
purchased two hundred acres of prairie land in
Fairfield Township. Upon his farm is a good dwell-
ing and a large barn framed of yellow pine, the
only one in the county, together with many other
substantial improvements. While in Oregon he
had learned the carpenter's trade and was the archi-
tect of his home and outbuiklings.

Mr. Dole is a supporter of the Republican party.
As a business man he has been qnite successful and
his prosperity is due entirely to his own efforts. lie
has also been a liberal cor.tributer to worthy en-
terprises, aiding in the support of any interest cal-
culated to advance the general welfare and by all
who know him is held in high regard.

'STEUBEN D. DU BOIS. Among the pioneer
is*7 families of Jefferson County is one well
4\V known and liighly esteemed — that of the
Du Bois family. In a well-preserved gen-
eological record, this family traces its origin back
to the Huguenots who fled from France into Hol-
land on account of religious persecution. The
[trogenitor of the famil}', Geoffroi Du Bois, was a
knight banneret under William tlie Conqueror,
whom he accompanied to the conquest of England.
The first to cross the briny deep were two pious,
noble men, Jacques and Louis Du Bois, who were
born near La Basse, in the Province of Artois,
France. Thence they emigrated to Holland, and
the former married in Leyden and the latter in
Manheim. About the middle of the seventeenth
century they braved the dangers of an ocean voy-
age and settled in the New York Colony. Jacques
died about a year after their ai-rival, leaving three
sons, while Louis was a resident of this country
thirty- six years and left at death seven sons.

Reuben D. Du Bois, whose name heads this
sketch, is a lineal descendant of the above Jacques.

His father, John W. Du Bois, was born in New
York City, October 9, 1817, and at an early age
was forced to begin life for himself, ^^hon he was
a lad of eleven years the death of his father oc-
curred, and he was bound out to a preacher of the
Society of Friends, with whom he remained until
fourteen years of age, when he was apprenticed to
a cabinet-maker in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., with
whom he worked until having attained his ma-
jority. The year 1838 witnessed his removal to
the West. A short time he spent in Chicago, and
was offered eighty acres now included in the heart
of the city for 1400, but he told the would-be sel-
ler that he had not come West to raise frogs. Late
in the same year he went to McDonough County,
111., and being the only cabinet-maker in tiiat sec-
tion was called upon to make the furniture and
burial caskets for tiie early settlers. In that county,
on the 2nd of February, 1840, he married Elizabeth
Dill, who was born in White County, Tenu., July
12, 1818. Her parents, Stephen and Catherine
(Harris) Dill, were natives of North Carolina and
Tennessee respectively. In eai'ly life her father
went to Tennessee, married Miss Hairis, and re-
moved to McDonough County, III., in 1830. The
Indians, then numerous in the neighborhood, fre-
(]uently committed depredations which proved to
be very annoying, and on reaching his destination,
Mr. Dill, leaving his family tenting in a wagon,
joined a company of men ready to start forth
against the savages. On his return he found his
wife and family living in an improvised shantj- of
her own construction. In 1842 they came to this
county, but subsequently returned to McDonough
County, where they lived to be octogenarians.
They were the parents of six cliildren, four sons
and two daughters.

In 1843 John W. Du Bois removed with his fam-
ily to Jefferson Countj-, Iowa, reaching Fairfield
on the 15th day of January. Having purchased a
claim, one-half mile west of the city, he lived
thereon two years, and then obtained possession of
a claim adjoining Fairfield, now known as the
Du Bois farm, on which he lived until his deatli.
He entered two hundred and forty acres of land,
and it w^as his desire to secure another forty-acre
tract, as he believed a vein of coal was underlying

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

281

the surface, but as he had "broken" one eighty
acres he could not lawfully enter the other, but
his wife had the privilege and did secure it. On
that tract was opened the first coal mine in Jeffer-
son Count}-, and such was the excellence of its
quality that blacksmiths from afar, even from
Burlington, sent to him for thoir supplies. Mr.
Du Bois was a successful business man and one of
the most extensive stock-dealers in tlie county.
His entire life was marked by the strictest honesty
and fairness in dealing. So highly was he re-
garded that when he made a contract for pur-
chasing stock his offer was at once accepted by the
farmers, who felt fully satisfied that it was as near
the market price as one could afford to give.

PoliticfiUj', Mr. Du Bois was a life-long ])emo-
crat. He served a"; the first Assessor of Jefferson
County, and at that Mme could call every man in
the county by name. He was nominated by liis
party for the position of Representative, but owing
to the f.act that his [jarty was in the minority he
failed at the election. In earlier life he was a
member of the Presbyterian Church, but after his
marriage united witli tlie Christian Church, to
which his wife had belonged from girlhood. They
were botli earnest workers and liberal contributors
to the cause, and made their religion a part of
tlieir dail}' life.

On the 7th of July, 1881, the wife was called to
her final rest, and on the 12th of March, 1882, Mr.
Du Bois married Jennie Du Bois, a lineal descend-
ant of Louis Du Bois, who was mentioned at the
lieginning of this sketch. His death occurred on
the 6th of July, 1888. By the former marriage
there were born nine children: Thomas K., who
died at the age of twenty-eight years; Reuben D.;
Theodore P., a farmer of Fairfield Township; Dr.
J. W., a practicing i)hysician of Batavia, Iowa; Na-
thanial S., a resident farmer of Fairfield Township;
Mary M.; Sarah C. ; Cornelius .S., who resides in
Omaha, Neb.; .and Charlotte, who died at the age
of two years.

The second child of the family, Reuben D.
Du Bois, the extensive stock-dealer, was born in
McDonough Count}-, 111., on Christmas Day of
1842, and was brought to this county during his
infancy. His education was acquired in the com-

mon schools of the neighborhood, and as soon as
he w.as old enough to ride a horse he commenced
to drive stock, and it has been his life work to deal
therein. On attaining his majority he commenced
buying stock as agent for the firm of Onderdonk A
Redfield, of Galesburg, 111., with whom he remained
two 3-ears, the last year receiving $100 per month
and expenses. In 1865 he began operations in the
same line in his own interests, and has continued
the business to the present time with marked suc-
cess. Other enterprises have also occupied his
attention. He has also engaged in farming and
in furnishing building materials under contract,
and for the last ten years has carried on a meat
market.

On the 21st of December, 1865, Mr. Du Bois led
to the marriage altar Miss Sarah Welch, who was
born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, February 26,
1845, and is a daughter of John and Clarissa
(Chase) Welch, whose sketch appears on another
page of this work. One child has been born unto
them, a daughter, Charlotte A. Both INIr Du Bois
and his wife are members of the Methodist Church,
and socially he is an Odd Fellow. I'nlike his
father and brothers, he is an advocate of Republi-
can principles, and was elected by that party as Al-
derman of the Second W^ard for one term. Mr. Du
Bois is a self-made man, having by his own efforts
acquired his possessions, including one hundred
and seventy acres of farm land beside his stock and
town property. Though comparatively a young
man, he is an old settler and one who stands high
in the community.

"^llOHN SNOOK, deceased, a pioneer of Jeffer-
son County, of 1841, is well remembered by
many of the later as well as the earlier set-
_ tiers of this community, for his residence in
the county covered a fieriod of forty -seven years,
during which time he witnessed the advanced po-
sition to which it had attained, and bore an active
part in the work of progress and development. He

282

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

wa,= a man uf more than average ability and su-
perior intelligence for one of his day, and exerted
an influence for the upbuilding of the county's
best interests which was widely felt.

iMr. Snook was born on a farm now within the
corporate limits of the city of Allegheny, Pa., July
9, 1818. His father, Casper Snook, was also a native
of the Keystone Slate, and was born of German
parentage. He served his country in the War of
1812. The family removed to Ohio when .John
was a youth, and settling near Ashland, he was
there reared to manhood, and in 1839 was joined
in wedlock with Miss Mary Fowler, a native of the
Empire State. The fcjllowing year, accompanied
by his young wife, he emigrated westward, and
casting his lot with the pioneer settlers of the Ter-
ritory of Iowa, settled in Lee County. The suc-
ceeding year, in 1841, he removed to Jefferson
County and located in Fairfield Township, one
mile west of the city, and gave his attention to
farming during the summer season, while during
the winter months he devoted his time to teaching
school. He was also eniplo3'ed on Government
surveys in the northern part of the State for two
seasons, but agriculture was the vocation which
engrossed the greater part of his time. As before
stated, he was at once recognized as a leading
spirit in the community, and was honored with
various local otlices of trust. He served as a mem-
ber of the County Board of Supervisors, and, as in
every other position which he was called upon to fill,
discharged his duties with fidelity. He was an
advocate of Democratic princi[)les.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Snook was born a family
consisting of four sons and four daughters: Helen,
the eldest, is the widow of Joseph Young, and is a
resident of Fairfield; Calvin A. is a practicing physi-
cian of Fairfield; Hannah is the wife of J. C. Grofl,
of Fairfield; Justin married Amanda Welsh, and is
living in Cherry County, Xel). ; Oscar is a farmer
and stock-raiser of Cedar Township, Jefferson
County; Rev. Ernest M. wedded Mary C. Carpen-
ter, and is now pastor of the Presbyterian Church
in Menlo, Iowa; Jennie S. is the wife of George
Yuong, of Wymore, Neb. ; Velma L. is a teacher of
Beatrice, Neb. The mother of this family, who is
a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church,

since her husband's death has made her home with
her son. Dr. Snook, of Fairfield.

Mr. Snook was a life-long member of the Presby-
terian Church, and for forty years served as one of
its P^ldei-s. He was also a delegate to General
Conference several different times, and he mani-
fested his interest in the cause bj- liberal contribu-
tions and an <iutiring zeal in the work connected
with it. As before stated, he w,as a man of superior
education for his day in the West, and was a liberal
contributor to the religious literature of his church.
In early life he had studied for the ministry, but
his constitution was never strong, and the condi-
tion of his health demanded outdoor exercise,
which he found in farm life. However, he alwaj's
took a warm interest in educational and religious
matters, and was ever ready to advance theii inter-
ests. In 1885 he sold his farm and removed to
Fairfield, where he spent the latter years of his life,
his death occurring in 1888, at the age of sixty-nine
5'ears. He enjoyed a wide circle of acquaintances
and was most highly respected and esteemed.

^->^>^v;!t^^»r5<^<v.^

\|/_^ ON. BERNHART HENN, dece.ased, one of
Jefferson County's most honored pioneers,
was born in Cherry Valley, N. Y., in 1817.
^ He sprang from one of the old substantial
yeoman families that was numbered among the
early settlers of that valley. He was a man of
splendid natural endowments, and in early life re-
ceived the best scholiistic training. At the age of
seventeen years, he began the stirring battle t)f life
for himself. During the school year he would fol-
low the profession of teaching, and through vaca-
tion, in his leisure hours, pursued the stud3' of law
and thoroughly equipped himself for the legal pro-
fession, and for some years engaged in active prac-
tice. In an early day ii, the history of Iowa, he
located in Burlington, where he met Gen. A. C.
Dodge, with whom he became intimately associa-
ted. With that gentleman he went to Wisconsin,
and engaged in lead mining for a time, and on his

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

283

leluni to Biulington was made general land agent
for the Government, in which capacity' he served
acceptably for a number of years.

On the 6th of August, 1841, near the city of Bur-
lington, Mr. Ilenn was united in marriage with Miss
Elizabeth S., daughter of John B. and Catherine
(Ealer) Price. The lady is a native of Baltimore,
Md. By the leath of her parents, she vvas left an
orijhaii when a mere child, and was reared by an
aunt with whom she came to Iowa. Unto them were
bori] six children: Mary J., wife of Dr. R. H. Huf-
ford, of Fairfield; Anna .and Bernhart, both de-
ceased; Clara; Edward, a prominent lawyer of
Sioux City; and Kate, wife of Dr. C. R. BIssell, a
noted physician of New York.

In 1844, Mr. Henn was appointed Register of the
land oliiie of Fairfield, by President Polk, a posi-
tion wliicli he held four years. This necessitated
his removal to Jefferson County, and was the means
of securing to the county one of its most honored
and prominent citizens. F'rom 1849 until 1853, he
represented his district in the United States (Jon-
gress, and for two years was prominently identified
with railroad affairs in the East. Returning to
Fairfield, he then embarked in the banking business
but tlie war came on, and with other financial in-
stitutions of the country, the one in which he was
interested, went down, the stockholders suffering
considerable loss. As a citizen, ]\Ir. Henn was ever
active in advancing the interests of the community
in which he lived; he laid out the Ilenn and Will-
iams addition to Fairfield, and in man3' other ways
was instrumental in the promotion of her worthy
enterprises and interests. Politieall\', he was a life-
long Democrat. In church wcirk, Mr. Henn took
a very active part, he and his wife both being lead-
ing members in the Congregational Church. F]ver
ready to extend a helping hand to the poor and
needy, his charitable and benevolent impulses won
him unnumhei'ed friends. On the 30th of August,
186 5, he closed bis life work, beloved by all who
knew him both at home and abroad. His widow
still survives him, and retains almost perfectly her
mental and physical faculties, although she is now
somewhat advanced in years. She has been a lib-
eral donator to the Fairfield Library, which is with-
out a peer in any city of its size in the country.

Of the settlers of 1844 but few reQiain,yut those
who still survive, together with those who later
came to the county, will read with pleasure this brief
sketch of the life work of Hon. Bernhart Henn, a
man who always tried to promote the best interests
of liome, of society and of the church.

•^^^^^♦*-J~-

^i^REDERICK B. HUFFMAN is the senior
j) partner of the firm of Ihiffmaii & Herring,
dealers in groceries and queensware.of Fair-
field, Jefferson County. The firm was organized and
began business on the "ind of June, 188i>, but Mr.
Huffman has continued operations in his present
line for the past ten years. He is a native of Iowa,
having been born in Lick Creek Township, Van
Buren County, on the 1st of April, 1842. A sketch
of his parents, Burke and Mary (Miller) Huffman,
appears on another page of this work. Frederick B.,
w.as reared to farm life and received such educa-
tional advantages as the common schools of that
day afforded. The first event of any importance
which marked his life was his enlistment, at the
age of nineteen }-ears, in the countrj's service. On
July 22, 1861, lie became a member of Compau}' H,
Fifth Iowa Infantry and for three years followed
the old flag. On the 24tl) of November, 1863, at
Missionary Ridge, iie was seriously wounded by a
gun shot in the left shoulder, which disabled him
for duty for some time. With his regiment he par-
ticipated in many of the important engagements of
the war, including the siege and second battle of
Corinth, the battle of Iiika, the siege and capture
of Vicksburg, the battle of Champion Hills, the
capture of Jackson, Miss., the capture of New Alad-
rid and the battles of Island No. 10 and Missionary
Ridge. His term of service having at length ex-
pired, he was mustered out July 22, 1864, receivinc
an honorable discharge as one who had done his
duty on eveiy occasion.

Shortly after his return home. Mr. Huffman made
a trip to (Jregon, and in that State and Idaho en-
gaged in mining, reaching Iowa in the month of

284

PORTRAIT A^'D BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

October, 1866, after a two years' absence amid
western scenes. Embarking in the drug business
lie dill a "ood trade in llial line in Birniingliara
until 1875, when lie sold out. The succeeding year
he tr,aveled for a drug house, then engaged in
clerking for a year and during the following three
years devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits.
In 1880, he embarked in the grocery business and
with good success has continued operations in that
line during the past decade.

In Jefferson County, Iowa, on the ■24th of Janu-
ary, 1867, Mr. Huffman was joined in wedlock with
Miss Martha M. Skinner, a daughter of Charles
Darwin .Skinner, and a native of Van Burea County,
where her family hadssttled in an early day. The
death of her father occurred in February, 1890,
but her mother is still living in Birmingham. Mr.
Huffman is a Republican in politics and fur six
\ ears held the office of Postmaster of Birmingham.
Soiially, he is a member of Clinton Lodge, No. 15,
A. F. & A. M. He does an annual business of
about $15,000 and is regarded by all who have had
dealings with him as a straightforward, upright
business man.

lIpjyjENJAMIN P. BLACKMER, M. D., a
L>K practicing physician and surgeon of Bona-
/(i^jjj parte. Van Buren County, Iowa, was born
^Ss/ in Wyoming County, N. Y., on the 6th of
April, 1839, and is a son of Gen. Charles J. Black-
mer. The family is of English descent and was
founded in America by the great-grandfather of
our subject, who at an eprly day left his home
across the water and emigrated to America. That
was prior to the War of the Revolution in which
he served. Gen. Blackmer was an attorney-at-law
by profession and was a man of superior ability.
His large and well balanced brain which readily
grasped any situation, made him a power at the bar
and his commanding presence readily claimed the
attention of all. In disposition he was social, genial
and proved an entertaining companion. He had a

keen perception of honor, was a good judge of na-
ture and endeavored to make truth and imrity the
standard by' which his own life was governed. All
who knew him respected him and sincere grief was
felt at his death, which occurred in Wyoming
County, N. Y. He married Miss Permela Peck,
who vvas also descended from Revolutionary stock,
her grandfather having served in the War for In-
dependence, during whidi he was captured and im-
prisoned in the old prison ship in New York Har-
bor. By the union of Gen. Blackmer and his wife,
live children were born, four sons and a daughter:
Irvin, Benjamin P.. James, Urana and George M.
The daughter is the widow of the late Edgar L.
Eighney, of Attica, N. Y., and the youngest son is
also a physician engaged in practice in Pike, Wyo-
ming County, N. Y. He graduated from the Keo-
kuk Medical College and afterwards from Bellevue
Hospital at New York City. The mother of this
family who, like her husband, won for herself many
friends as the result of her graces of character and
many excellent qualities, died in Wyoming County,
N. Y.

Dr. Blackmer, whose name heads this notice,
spent the days of his boyhood and youth in his
native State and received his education in the com-
mon schools and the Brockport Collegiate Insti-
tute. It was his desire to engage in the practice
of medicine as a life work and to this end he began
reading at home. Ten years later he emigrated to
Paw Paw, Mich., where he engaged in teaching
school and also embarked in the jjrosecution of his
chosen profession which he continued in that lo-
cality for Ave years. In 1878, he came to Bona-
parte, Iowa. The same 3'ear he attended a course of
lectures in the Keokuk Medical College and in the
month of June was graduated from that institution,
since which time he has been in active practice in
Bonaparte.

In 1881, Dr. Blackmer was united in mariiage
with Miss Colusa Sturdivant, daughter of R. J.
Sturdivant, and by their union have been born two
children — Capitola nnd Nola. This family holds a
high position in the social world and the Blackmer
household is noted for its hospitality. The Doctor
is essentially a self-made man and no person living
in Van Buren County to-day is entitled to greater

PORTRAIT AND lilOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

285

credit for raising himself from a comparative hum-
ble position to one of eminence in his profession.
He is still a student,as is every first-class member of
the profession, and keeps well informed concerning
all of the latest discoveries in medical science.

-1*^^

f^ W. HIDY, one of the honored pioneers of
Jefferson County, Iowa, residing on section

JA\ 22, Locust Grove Township, came to the
county in 1856 from Fayette County, Ohio.

Mr. Hidy was born in Fayette Count}-, Ohio, in
1832, and is a son of George and Susan (Wagner)
Hidy, wlio were parents of nine children, he being
the fifth in order of birth. From Virginia, their
native State, they removed to Ohio, in 1825, mak-
ing a location in Fayette County, where Mr. Hidy
carried on farming for many years. He reached
the advanced age of eighty, and passed from this
life in 1880, having survived his wife fifteen jears.
The Hidy family was established in America by the
grandfather of our subject, a Hessian gentleman,
who was pressed into tlie British service to lielp
subdue the Colonies during tlie Revolutionary War,
but on reaching this country he deserted and made
a home, establisliing a family of wliich our subject
is a descendant. The AVagner family dates its resi-
dence in America from Colonial days. The original
American progenitor after reaching this country
had to work for tiiree years to pay for his trans-
portation. Ik' made his home in Virginia and iiis
descendants fought for American independence.

The early life of our subject was spent in a man-
ner not unlike that in which farmer lads usually
pass their time. During the summer months he
aided his father in farm labor and in the winter
season attended the district schools of the neigh-
borhood, where he acquired a good English edu-
cation. Reading and observation have largely
supplemented the knowledge acquired in the school-
room and he is now a well-informed man who keeps
well posted in regard to all general issues. At the
age of twenty-four years he determined to try his

fortune in the West and made a location in Jeffer-
son County, Iowa, then a part of the Territory of
Michigan. For some three or four 3ears after his
arrival, ho devoted himself exclusively to carpenter
work, then divided his time between that occupa-
tion and farming, but is now engaged exclusively
in agricultural pursuits.

It was a fortunate move for Mr. Hidy, his coming
to Iowa, for he iiere hacarae acquainted with and
wedded Miss Mary Moore, who has lieen to him a
true helpmate on life's journey. Their union was
celebrated in 1857. The lady is a native of Indiana,
and a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Sears) Moore.
Her father, a native of Kentucky, went to Indiana
in his 3'outh and w.as there married. He came with
his family to Jefferson County, in 1852, settling in
Locust Grove Township, but after some years resi-
dence in that locality he removed to Phillips
County, Kan., where he yet makes his home. He
lost his wife some years ago while they were living
in Kankakee County, 111. Tlie paternal grandfather
of Mrs. Hidy was a native of Kentucky and died
in Indiana. Her maternal grandfather. David
Sears, was born in North Carolina and wedded
Catherine Crum, a native of the same State. At an
early day they removed to Kentucky, locating
near Louisville, whence the\' went to Indiana.
Later their place of residence was in Coles County,
III., and in 1846, they arrived in Jefferson County,
Iowa, where Mr. Sears purchased a claim and de-
veloped a farm, continuing to make his home thereon
until his death, which occurred in 1870. His wife
died some years previous. He was well known
throughout the county as one of its honored pio-
neers and was a most highly respected citizen.

For thirty years G. W. Hidy has owned and
operated his present farm. His first purchase of
land consisted of eighty acres but only twelve
acres of that amount was broken. Clearing away
the brush he plowed the land, planted crops and in
the course of time had a good farm which yielded
him a ready return for tlie care and cultiv.ation he
bestowed upon it. As the years passed along and
his financial resources increased, he made other
purchases until now his landed possessions aggre-
gate three hu.idred and forty-five acres, the greater
part of which is under a high state of cultivation,

S86

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

while the remaifider is devoted to pasturage, Mr.
Hidy giving considerable attention to tlie raising
of stock. He keeps on hand only the best grades
that Ills business in this line may not be inferior to
the rest of his farming interests.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Hidy has been blessed
with five children, two sons and three daughters,
namely : Mary, Susan, Blanche, Charlie and George.

The cause of education finds in Mr. Hidy a warm
fiiend and for three terms he was an efficient mem-
ber of the School Board. lie has held other local
ottices including that of Township Assessor but has
never sought political preferment. However as
every true American citizen should do, he feels an
interest in political affairs and by his ballot sup-
ports the Republican party. More than a third of
a century has })assed since he came to the county.
Iowa then was in its infancy. The State afforded
no railroad facilities, its leading cities were then
mere hamlets or had not yet been founded, and the
work of civilization and progress seemed scarcely
begun. JeS'erson County, thanks to its early set-
tlers, has kept pace in the progress which has marked
the history of the State, being one of the leading
counties of Iowa. Although its towns and cities
are not commercial centers, Fairfield is a thriving
place with good general trade and furnished with
many of the facilities which places, assuming to be
of more importance, lack. As a splendid agricul-
tural region the county is hardly surpassed and its
steady growth and advancement argue for it a
prosperous future as well as present. Mr. Hidy
has borne his part in bringing about this result and
after his name may fitly be written the words — an
honored pioneer.

' LVIN THAYER WELLS holds the position

(@/u| of Librarian and Treasurer of the Fairfield

Library Association, and no one is more

widely or favorably known throughout the

community than the gentleman whose name heads

this sketch. He was born in Springfield Town-

ship, Erie Count3', Pa., December 26, 1828, and is
a son of Aaron and Betsy (Aldrich) Wells. On
both sides,the geneological records trace the families
back to the Mayflower. The pattrnal grandfather
of our subject, Ezekiel Wells, was a native of New
Hampshire, a farmer bj^ occupation and a soldier
of the Revolutionary' War. Having married, he
removed to Erie County, Pa., and lived to the ad-
vanced age of eighty-seven years. Aaron Wells
was born in the Granite State. He was twice mar-
ried, his first union being with Betsy Aldrich, by
whom he had a family of five children, of whom
our subject is the only one now living. Mrs. Wells
died and was interred at Fairfield, Iowa. Subse-
quently Mr. Wells returned to Penns3'lvania, mar-
ried Mrs. Clarissa Webber, and again came back to
Fairfield, where he resided a few years, but once
more he returned to his I'ennsylvania home, and
there died at an advanced ago, his wife surviving
him about one year. On his removal to Pennsyl-
vania from New Hampshire, Mr. Wells engaged in
farming, becoming one of the well to-do citizens of
the neighborhood, and taking a prominent part in
local affairs. In his political affiliations he was a
Whig, while he and his vvifo were life-long mem-
bers of tLie Methodist Episcopal Church. Their
home was open for the reception of all the j^ioneer
preachers, who never failed to receive a hearty wel-
come.

The early life of Alvin T. Wells was such as to
bring out all the determination and self-reli.ince in
him. His was not an easy bo.yhood, but the lessons
of industry and frugalit}' which he learned, have
no doubt been important factors in his success in
after life. He was forced to share in the arduous
labors of clearing a timbered farm and his early
education was acquired in the district schools.
However, he afterwards spent two years in Kings-
ville Academy, and his business training was re-
ceived in a mercantile establishment, where for
some time he was employed as a salesman. In 1850,
at the age of twenty-two years, he started for Cali-
fornia, going down the Ohio and up the Mississippi
and Missouri Rivers to old Ft. Carne}', whence
his [larty, consisting of himself and five com-
panions, started with mule teams across the plains.
On the way one of their number died of the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ssr

cholera, and another was drowned while crossing
the Platte River. After journeying forgone hun-
dred and eleven days, tiiey at length reached
Placerville, and during the next two years Mr.
Wells engaged in mining, after which he returned
by the Panama route and. like "Sinbad, the Sailor,"
was somewhat enriched. In 1853 he went to Illi-
nois where he occupied the position of salesman in
his brother's drug store. The following year he
came to Fairfield wliere he opened a drug store,
doing business in that line for himself for .some four
years. He then joined his brother in the manufacture
of patent medicines in Ciiicago, but after a year's
partnership his brother died, and Mr. Wells con-
tinued the Ijusiness alone for some two years^longer,
when he removed to Fairfield. Sliortly afterwards
he discontinued operations in tiiat line, and, in
18G2 was made Librarian of the Fairfield Library,
a position he has held continuously since. At odd
times he works at the carpenter's trade which he
picked up in early life, but devotes the greater
part of his attention to the interests of the library.
For tlie last six years he has been Treasurer of the
Fairfield Library Association. His memory is cer-
tainly remarkable for, although the library con-
tains over eleven thousand volumes, he can put
his iiand on any book desired without consulting a
catalogue.

In October, 1860, Mr. Wells was united in mar-
riage with Martha L. Matthews, a native of Johns-
town, Pa., and a daughter of John Matthews, who
came from Pennsylvania to this county witli his
family about 1855. After remaining three years,
liowever, he returned to the Keystone State, where
he and his wife spent their last days. It wa^ dur-
ing the residence of the family in Jefferson County
that Mr. Wells formed the acquaintance of the
daughter and their friendship ripening into love,
he went to Johnstown to claim his bride. By their
union were born five children, three of whom are
yet living; one having died in infancy, while the
death of Kate occurred in her seventeenth year.
William M. is now employed as a salesman in a dry
goods house of Fairfield ; Mary E. is at home, and
Thomas S. is with the American Express Com-
pany.

Politically, Mr. Wells is a Republican, having

supported thatpartj' since'casting^his first vote for
Fremont in 185G. He has been connected with the
Odd Fellows society for thirty-five years, and his
wife is a member of the Presbyterian 'Church.
Though not an office seeker, he has held the offices
of Township Assessor and Clerk. lie is the owner of
two hundred and forty acres of valuable land situ-
ated two and a half miles south of Fairfield, which,
like his other possessions,'rhas been acquired
through;his own efforts. He may truly^be called
a self-made man, as his success in life is due entirely
to his industry, enterprise.'and good management,
He deservesjiiucli credit for what he has done for
the advancement of the library's interests and all
recognize his worth and faithfulness as allibrarian.
Besides purchasing three hundreil shares of library
stock, he has done a vast amount of work for nomi-
nal pay.

-l^m-

<|7 EWIS CASS MEEK, a worthy representa-
I rf^ live of the honored pioneer family men-
jLAy tioned al)Ove and a prominent farmer and
stock-raiser, of Bonaiiarte, Iowa, was born in Van
Buren County of the 28th of May, 1859, and is a
son of Robert and Abigail Meek. His education
was acquired in the district schools of the neigh-
borhood and he was reared to manhood in his na-
tive county. His father owned and operated one
of the first mills in the county, but on account of
poor health in his youth, he was not allowed to en-
gage in the work of milling. In 1879, when a
young man of twenty years, he journeyed west-
ward, locating in Colorado, where he spent two
years. Returning at the expiration of that time
to his native count}', he embarked in stock-raising,
which he has since made his chief business, carry-
ing on the same with marked success.

In 1882 Mr. Meek led to the marriage altar Miss
Anna M. Eich, one of the fair daughters of Van
Buren County. Her birth occurred on the Gth of
February, 1857, and her parents are Jacob and
Agnes (Beck) Kich, early settlers of this com-

288

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

miinity. Two children, boys, grace their union,
unto whom have been given the names of Philip
and Waldo R., and one died in infancj'.

The fine stock farm of which Mr. Meek is the
owner, comprises fonr hundred and ninety-five
acres, all under fence, adjoining the corporation
limits of Bonaparte. He raises in large numbers
the best grades of stock and has gained the reputa-
tion as one of the leading stock-growers of South-
eastern Iowa. He is a man of good business
ability, of sterling worth and strict integrity, and a
worthy representative of tlie honored pioneer
famil3\ In his political afliliations, he is a Demo-
crat, having supported the party since attaining
his majority.

>i?«tf-»^J<!^

*5^^^J»t^

^jICHARD H. LEGGETT, deceased, was for
many years one of the prominent and en-
terprising citizens of Fairfield, where he lo-
cated in 1855. As the proprietor of the
Leggett House he had au extended acquaintance, as
a business man his reputation was unmarred, and as
a citizen he ranked among the best. He was born
in Washington County, Pa., March 25, 1811. and
was a son of Jesse and Mary (Cheek) Leggett. The
Leggett family is of English origin and was founded
in America at an early day, its re)jresentatives be-
coming residents of Maryland.

AVhen six years of age, Mr. Leggett left liis na-
tive State and removed with the family to Carroll
County, Ohio, where he received a common-school
education. Later he engaged in merchandising in
that county and afterwards engaged in hotel keep-
ing. It was also during his residence in the Buck-
eye State that he raised a regiment for the Jlexican
War and was commissioned Colonel, but they were
never called into active duty on account of the ter-
mination of the war.

In Jefferson County, Ohio, on the 25th of April,
1833, Mr. Leggett was united in marriage with
Basheba Tiers, who was born in Island Creek, Jef-
ferson County, Ohio, April 29, 1815, and is a

daughter of Elisha W. and Margaret (Ferrell)Viers.
Her father was born in Montgomery County, Md.,
of English descent and her mother in Virginia of
Irish parentage. In 1855, Mr. Leggett and his
family started for Iowa. For eighteen years prior
to his emigration westward he had engaged in ho-
tel keeping in CarroUton, Ohio, and on his arrival
in Fairfield he embarked in the same line of busi-
ness. To the hotel which he opened he gave the
name of Leggett House and to this day it remains
the leading establishment of the kind in the city.
In fact it is almost without competition and was
raised to its present high standard of excellence by
its founder.

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Leg-
gett, three died in childhood and six grew to ma-
ture years, two sons and four daughters — Samanlha,
wife of Rev. John Hochul}', of Fairfield; Ella, who
became the wife of Dr. Thomas Smith, of New
Philadelphia, Ohio, died March 15, 1857; James
Milton married Jessie Coulter and died April 15,
1890, in Chicago; Permelia, is the wife of George
W. Phelps, of Fairfield; Charles D., Judge of the
District Court wedded Beatrice Cunningham and
resides in F'airfleld ; Frank E. is the wife of Charles
Whiting of Chicago.

In his earlier years Mr. Leggett was a Democrat
but from the time of the Lincoln campaign until
his death he was an ardent supporter of Republi-
can principles. Socially he was a member of Clin-
ton Lodge, No. 15, A. F. & A. M. His wife united
in 1858 with the Presbyterian Church, of which she
has since been a consistent member. Since her
husband's death, which occurred on the 8th of Sep-
tember, 1884, she has leased the hotel but is still
one of its boarders.

As a landlord, Mr. Leggett was deservedly popu-
lar. His long experience had given him a thor-
ough knowledge of the business and the abilit}- to
judge correctly of human nature. While his house
was always as perfect in its appointment as possible,
in keeping with the importance of the town, his ta-
ble was ever supplied with the best the market af-
forded. He was genial and courteous and held the
good will of a large circle of patrons who esteemed
him as one of the best landlords in the West. He
was a man whom everybody respected for his

ARW

F'^BucTm '

^SS.

BETHEL CAMPBELL.

PORTRALT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

291

sterling integrity and manlj- independence of cliar-
acter. His life was in harmony vvitli his profession
and the respect and confidence with which he was
held by all was but the natural sequence of his con-
sistent living.

■^•#

|)ETHEL CAMPBELL, the second child of
Archibald and Catherine (Ilouk) Campltell,
|'/!^|JJ well-known |)ioneers of this community of
^iS^ 1842, is engaged in farming and stock-rais-
ing on section 8, Van Buron Township, Van Bnren
County', the old iioinestead of the family. His
father, who was widely known throughout this
region, was born in Virginia in the j'ear of
180C, grew to manhood in his native State and
made farming his life occupation. Going to Ohio, he
was there married, at about the age of twenty-four
years, to Catherine Honk, who was born in the
Buckeye State in 1813. Returning with his bride
to Virginia he settled upon a farm, which he ob-
tained from his father, paying hiui (the father) -iilOO
per year during the remainder of his life. The
spring of- 1842 witnessed the arrival of Archibald
Campbell and his family in Van Buren County, and
soon afterward he made purchase of three hundred
and twenty acres of timber land, located in Van
Buren Township. He then began life in true pioneer
style. Into a log cabin, which he built, the family
moved, after which the work of developing and
improving the farm began. His efforts were crowned
with success and soon a comfortable home was ob-
tained as tlie reward of his labors. He died August
31, I8'J0,in Village Township, Van Buren County,
at the advanced age of eighty-four years, a worthy
and respected citizen. Throughout life he had been
a supporter of Democratic principles and for nian3-
years he had been a member of the Methodist
Churcli. His wife, who was also connected with that
church for many years as one of its zealous mem-
bers, was called to her reward July 21, 1884.
Twelve cliildren were born unto them and with the'
exception of C)ne. wh.) died in infancy-, all lived to

adult age. Alexander, the eldest, is engaged in
farming in Village Township; Bethel is the next
younger; Henry, who served three years in the
Union armj- during the war, is now deceased;
James is a farmer of Union Township; Jacob died
in infanc}'; John C. served three years in Company
I, Nineteenth Iowa Infantry, and is now deceased;
Margaret J. resides in this county; Martha E. is
now Mrs. Shipley, of Des Moines Township; Mary
A. is now Mrs. Rambo, of Van Buren Township;
Mrs. Nancy Martin resides in Fairfield, Jefferson
County; Archibald P. makes his home in Clay
Count}-, Kan.; and Alice is now deceased.

Our subject was a lad of nine summers when he
accompanied his parents to Van Buren County. In
consequence of their early settlement in the com-
munity, little opportunit}- was afforded him for
securing an education, but b}' self-culture he suHl-
ciently ])repared to engage in teaching in the dis-
trict schools of the State, which he followed for
some 3'ears. Having a natural a[>titude for tools
and mechanics, he learned the carpenter's trade, at
which he worked for some time after beginning
life for himself at the age of eighteen years. Alter-
nating his time between that occupation and school
teaching, he gained some capital, but with the hope
of bettering his financial condition in the spring
of 1862, with an ox-team, he crossed the plains to
the Pacific Slope, consuming about five months in
making the journey. He first went to Oregon,
where he worked at carpentering for a half year.
In February, 1863, he went to Idaho where he
constructed the trestle work of an aqueduct foi'
mining a ditch. The structure is one hundred and
four feet at the liighest point and about three hun-
dred feet long. Afterward he became agent for
the Ditch Company', in whose em()loy he re-
mained about three years. At the expiration of
that time iie returned to this count}^ He made the
journey on horseback from Idalio City to Ft. Ben-
ton at !i time when the Sioux and Blackfeet Indi-
ans were on the war path. It was necessary oftimes,
to travel far into the night to find a place for
camping in safetv, and some would stand guard
while others slept. Notwithstanding the care taken
to avoid all danger, the party with which he trav-
eled had some very narrow and exciting escapes

292

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

from being captured by the dusky warriors. From
Ft. Benton Mr. Campbell traveled by boat to
Omaha, then by stage to Ft. Des Moines, where
he took the Des Moines \'alley Railroad which
had just been completed, and finished his journey
by rail. Soon after his return Mr. Campbell again
engaged in teaching for a time, after which he pur-
chased the old homestead and resuming the occupa-
tion to which he had been reared, has since devoted
his time and attention to farming and stock-raising.
He is numbered among the representative farmers
of the community and has a reputation for raising
only the best grades of stock, including horses cat-
tle,sheep and hogs. His farm, comprising three hun-
(b-ed and forty acres is all well improved and gives
evidence of the thrift and industry of the owner.
On the 26th of November, 1867, Mr. Campbell
led to the marriage altar Miss Mary E. Johnston, of
Van Buren County, a daughter of William and
Martha (Forbes) Johnston. Her father was a na-
tive of Pennsylvania, but her mother was of Irish
birth. The former died March 15, 1881, and Mrs.
Johnston passed away on the 2d of September,! 889.
Mrs. Campbell was born in Ohio, July 2. 1843, and
as the result of their union they have three inter-
esting children — Thomas E., Charles A. and Myrtle
L., all at home. T'hey have lost one ciiild, Ira W.,
the third in order of birth, who died in infancy.
Mr. Campbell is a Democrat in politics and his wife
is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Mt.
Zion.

^ ^'^(^ ^

i-iOLLlN J. WILSON, of the law firm of Wil-
son & Hinkle, of FairBeld, was born in the
city which is still his home, on the 18th of
October, 1853, and is the eldest son of the
Hon. James F. Wilson, who is at present United
States Senator from Iowa, and whose sketch appears
on another page of this work.

RoUin J., the subject of this notice, was edu-
cated in the public schools of bis native town and
in the State University, being graduated from the
latter institution on the completion of the classical

course, in the spring of 1875. During his last year
tlie college he was Adjutant of the Military Battal-
ion of the State University. His law studies were
pursued under the tutelage of his father and he was
admitted to the bar on the 8th of January, 1878, and
to practice in the Supreme Court of the State, on the
10th of June, 1880. Two jears later he was ad-
mitted before Judge Love to practice in the circuit
and district courts of the United States. He began
his professional career in his native city, and in
1881 formed a partnership with J. M. Hinkle, which
has continued to the present. In 1884 Mr. Wilson
was appointed local attorney for the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy Railroad Company, and about
tlie same time was chosen attorney for the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific Railro.ad Company, which
positions' he has held continuously since. For three
years he filled the office of County Attorney for
Jefferson County, by appointment of the Boaid of
Supervisors, and when that office became an elect-
ive one he was the first to be called upon to serve
in that position, entering upon the duties of the
same January 1, 1S87. He was then re-elected in
the fall of 188i), and is now serving his second
term, an efficient and capable officer. In March,
1888, he was elected a member of the Board of
Education for a term of three years, and is a mem-
ber of the committee on plans for building the new
schoolhouse, also on the committee for heating and
seating the same, and on grades and discipline.

In politics, Mr. Wilson is a decided Republican,
but of strong temperance sentiment. He has been
an active worker in the temperance cause and was
the organizer of the Blue Ribbon Club, of which
he was President two years. This was a most pop-
ular temperance movement and accomplished much
good. During Mr. Wilson's connection with it
about three thousand people were induced to sign
the pledge, and the influence of the club aided not
a little in carr3'ing the county and district for the
constitutional amendment of prohibition.

On the 13th of October, 1881, in Fairfield, Mr.
Wilson and Miss Mary A. McKemey, youngest
daughter of Joseph A. McKemey, were united in
marriage. Mrs. Wilson is a native of Fairfield,
where her parents, whose sketch appears on another
page of this work, are numbered among the early

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

293

settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are membtrs of the
Congregational Church. Unto them have been
liorn two interesting children, daughters — Mary
Louise and Helen Cynthia.

Mr. Wilson is a member of Forest City Lodge,
No. 18, K. r. Although comparatively a young
man, he is rapidly '.vinning a foremost place in his
cho!^en profession and the firm of which he is the
senior member has its full share of business in the
local and neighboring courts.

ACOB S. McKEMEY, of the law firm of Mc-
Keraey A' Simmons, of Fairfield, is a native
Jefferson County, and a son of Jose|jh A.
[(^Jl and Cynthia A. (Hemphill) McKemey,
who were |)ioncer settlers of Iowa of 1839. A
sketch of his parents appears elsewhere in this
work. He was born in Fairfield on the 7th of
Geptember, 1854, and was educated at Iowa Col-
lege, at GrinncU, after which he began preparations
for the legal profession in the law otHce of Stubbs
and Leggett of Fairfield, being admitted to prac-
tice on tlie 3rd of May, 1877, and entered upon his
piofessional labors at Fairfield as a partner of
Charles D. Leggett, who is now judge of the dis-
trict court, under the firm name of Leggett A Mc-
Kemey. That connection continued through ten
consecutive years, or until Judge Leggett took his
place upon the bench December 6, 1886. On the
withdrawal of the senior partner, Mr. McKemey
formed the existing partnership with Eben F. Sim-
mons, who had been a student and clerk in his of-
fice for several years.

On the 3rd of JLay. 1881, in Fairfield, Jlr. Mc-
Kemey was united in marriage with Miss Ada
Light, daughter of Solomon Light. She died on
the 10th of June, 1887, leaving one child, a son,
Charles L., who was born July 27, 1882. Mr. Mc-
Kemey was again married on the 19th of June,
1889, his present wife having been Miss Julia L.
Scofield, a daughter of Bryant T. Scofield, of
Carthage, 111. The lady was born in Carthage,

graduated from the college of that citj', and coming
to Fairfield was elected Superintendent of the
schools of that city, re-elected and served four
years in that capacity. She is a lady of culture
and refinement and like her husband is held in high
regard throughout the community. Mr. and Mrs.
McKeiuey attend the Congregational Church of
Fairfield. In political sentiment he is a Republi-
can but has never been a candidate for any office,
preferring to devote his undivided attention to his
professional business. He is one of the stockhold-
ers in the newly organized Iowa State Savings
Bank, and is a member of its first board of direc-
tors. The firm of McKcnie3' & Simmons will oc-
cupy the entire second floor of the new bank build-
ing when completed, where the}' will have the most
elegant and complete suite of office rooms in the
city. The senior partner has been a resident of
Fairfield throughout his entire life and has now
been engaged in the successful practice of his pro-
fession here for thirteen years.

■—I-

-^

^^ APT. SIMPSON J. CHESTER, who .since
flf^' 1850 has been a resident of Iowa, is now
^^v' numbered among the enterprising citizens
of F^airfield. and it is with pleasure that we present
his sketch to the readers of the Album, knowing
that it will be received with interest by his many
friends.

The Captain was born in Kosciusko Count}-,
Ind., near Warsaw, March 16, 1840, and is a son
of Joseph and Jane (Robinson) Chester. His father,
a native of New Jersey, was born Jlarch 16, 1806,
emigrated with his parents to Ohio while but a
boy, and there resided to the time of his maturity.
He became acquainted with and married Miss Rob-
inson, who was born June 2, 1807, a native of the
Keystone State, and soon after went to Kosciusko
County, Ind., a sparsely settled part of the State,
where at that time hundreds of Indians could be
seen any day. Accompanied by their children,
they emigrated to Iowa in 18o0, and for six years

292

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

from being captured by the dusky warriors. From
Ft. Benton Mr. Campbell traveled by boat to
Omaha, then by stage to Ft. Des Moines, where
he took the Des Moines Valley Railroad which
had just been completed, and finished his journey
by rail. Soon after his return Mr. Campbell again
engaged in teaching for a time, after wliich he pur-
chased the old homestead and resuming the occupa-
tion to which he had been reared, has since devoted
his time and attention to farming and stock-raising,
IIo is numbered among the representative farmers
of the communit}' and lias a reputation for raising
only the best grades of stock, including horses cat-
tle,sheep and hogs. His farm, comprising three hun-
dred and forty acres is all well improved and gives
evidence of the thrift and industry of the owner.
On the 26th of November, 1867, Mr. Campbell
led to the marriage altar INIiss Mary E. Johnston, of
Van Buren County, a daughter of William and
Martha (Forbes) Johnston. Her father was a na-
tive of Pennsylvania, but her mother was of Irish
birth. The former died March 15, 1881, and Mrs.
Johnston passed away on the 2d of September,l 889.
^Irs. Campbell was born in Ohio, July 2, 1843, and
as tlie result of their union they have three inter-
esting children — Thomas E„ Charles A. and Myrtle
L., all at home. They have lost one child, Ira W.,
the third in order of birth, who died in infancy,
Mr, Campbell is a Democrat in politics and his wife
is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Mt.
Zion.

^If^OLLlN J. WILSON, of the law firm of Wil-
11^^ son & HInkle, of FairSeld, was born in the
citj' which is still his home, on the 18th of
October, 1853, and is the eldest son of the
Hon. James F. Wilson, who is at present United
States Senator from Iowa, and whose sketch appears
on another page of this work.

RoUin J., the subject of this notice, was edu-
cated in tlie public schools of his native town and
in the State University, being graduated from the
latter institution on the completion of the classical

course, in the spring of 1875. During liis last year
the college he was Adjutant of the Military Battal-
ion of the State University. His law studies were
pursued under the tutelage of his father and he was
admitted to the baron the 8th of January, 1878, and
to practice in the Supreme Court of the State, on the
10th of June, 188(1. Two 3-ears later he was ad-
mitted before Judge Love to practice in the circuit
and district courts of the United States. He began
his professional career in his native city, and in
1881 formed a partnership with J. M. Ilinkle, which
has continued to tiic present. In 1884 Mr, Wilson
was appointed local attorney for the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy Railro.ad Company, and about
tlie same time was chosen attorney for the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company, which
positions he has iield continuously since. For three
years he filled the office of County Attorney for
Jefferson County, by appointment of the Boaid of
Supervisors, and when tiiat office became an elect-
ive one he was the first to be called upon to serve
in that position, entering upon the duties of the
same January 1, 1887. He was then re-elected in
the fall of 1889, and is novT serving his second
term, an efficient and capable officer. In March,
1888, he was elected a member of the Board of
Education for a term of three j'ears, and is a mem-
ber of the committee on plans for building the new
schoolhouse, also on the committee for heating and
seating the same, and on grades and discipline.

In politics, Mr. Wilson is a decided Republican,
but of strong temperance sentiment. He has been
an active worker in the temperance cause and was
the organizer of the Blue Ribbon Club, of which
he was President two ye.ars. This was a most pop-
ular temperance movement and accomplished much
good. During Mr. Wilson's connection with it
about three thousand people were induced to sign
the pledge, .and the influence of the club aided not
a little in carrjing the county and district for the
constitutional amendment of prohibition.

On the 13th of October, 1881, in Fairfield, Mr,
Wilson and Miss Mary A, McKemey, youngest
daughter of Joseph A, McKemey, were united in
marriage, Mrs, Wilson is a native of Fairfield,
where her parents, whose sketch appears on another
page of this work, are numbered among the early

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

293

settlers. Mr. .and Mrs. Wilson are membtrs of the
Congregational Church. Unto them have been
horn two interesting children, (laughters — Mary
Louise and Helen Cynthia.

Mr. Wilson is a member of Forest Citj' Lodge,
No. 18, K. P. Altliougli comparatively a young
man, he is rapidly -.vinning a foremost place in his
chosen profession and the firm of which he is the
senior memlter has its full share of business in the
local and neighboring courts.

' ACOB S. McKEMEY, of the law lirm of Mc-
Keraey ct Simmons, of Fairfield, is a native
Jefferson County, and a son of Joseph A.
and Cynthia A. (Hempiiill) McKerae}-,
who were |)ioneer settlers of Iowa of 1839. A
sketch of his parents appears elsewhere in this
work. He was born in Fairfield on the 7th of
i September, 1854, and was educated at Iowa Col-
lege, at Grinnell, after which he began preparations
for the legal profession in the law office of Stubbs
and Leggett of Fairfield, being a<Imitted to prac-
tice on the .3rd of May, 1877, and entered upon his
piofessional labors at Fairfield as a partner of
Charles D. Leggett, who is now judge of the dis-
trict court, under the firm name of Leggett it Mc-
Kemey. That connection continue<l through ten
consecutive years, or until Judge Leggett took his
place ui)on the bench December 6, 188G. On the
wiihdrawid of the senior partner, Mr. McKeme^-
formed the existing partnership with Eben F.Sim-
mons, who bad been a student and clerk in his of-
fice for several years.

On the 3rd of May. 1881, in Fairfield, Mr. Mc-
Kemey was united in marriage with ^NIiss Ada
Light, daughter of Solomon Light. She died on
the 10th of June, 1887, leaving one child, a son,
Charles L., who was born July 27, 1882. Mr. Mc-
Kemey was again married on the 19th of June,
1889, his present wife having been Miss Julia L.
Scofield, a daughter of Brynnt T. Scofield, of
Carthage, III. The lady was born in Carthage,

graduated from the college of that city ,and coming
to Fairfield was elected Superintendent of the
schools of that city, re-elected and served four
years in that capacity. She is a lady of culture
and refinement and like her husband is held in high
regard throughout the community. Mr. and Mrs.
McKeiuey attend the Congregational Church of
Fairfield. In political sentiment he is a Republi-
can but has never been a candidate for any office,
preferring to devote his undivided attention to his
professional business. He is one of the stockhold-
ers in the newly organized Iowa State Savings
Bank, and is a member of its first board of direc-
tors. The firm of McKemey & Simmons will oc-
cupy the entire second floor of the new bank build-
ing when completed, where they will have the most
elegant and complete suite of office rooms in the
city. The senior partner has been a resident of
Fairfield throughout his entire life and has now
been engaged in the successful practice of his pro-
fession here for thirteen years.

-^^

/^ APT. SIMPSON J. CHESTER, who .since
[ir^^ 1850 has been a resident of lovva, is now
^^/ numbered among the enterprising citizens
of Fairfield, and it is with pleasure that we present
his sketch to the readers of the Aluu.m, knowing
that it will be received with interest by his manv
friends.

The Captain was born in Kosciusko County,
Ind., near Warsaw, March 16, 1840, and is a son
of Joseph and Jane (Robinson) Chester. His father,
a native of New Jersey, was born March 16, 1806,
emigrated with his parents to Ohio while but a
boy, and tliere resided to the time of his maturity.
He became acquainted with and married Miss Roli-
inson, who was born June 2, 1807, a native of the
Keystone State, and soon after went to Kosciusko
County, Ind., a sparsely settled part of the State,
where at that time hundreds of Indians could be
seen any day. Accompanied by their children,
they emigrated to Iowa in 18o0, and for six years

294

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

resided in Linn Count}', when, in 1856, the}' came
to .Tefferson County, settling in Buchanan Town-
ship. Many j'ears passed, during which they gained
a large circle of friends, but at length they severed
their relations with the citizens of this community,
and in 1882 became residents of Jasper County,
Mo., where the father is still living. The mother
(lied at her home in that count}' on the 4th of
April, 1890. Their family consisted of four sons
and one daughter — Emeline, wife of W. R. Kevin,
of .Jasper Count}', Mo.; Simpson J., of this sketch;
Dr. Vandiver L. married OUie Green and is living
in Great Bend, Kan.; Oliver F. married Emma
Collins, of Jefferson County, and now makes his
home in Kansas City, Mo. ; Robert N. married Ella
M. Ayersman, of Wayne County, Iowa,and is liv-
ing in Jasper County, Mo.

The days of his boyhood and youth our subject
spent upon his father's farm, and his early educa-
tion, acquired in tlie common schools, was supple-
mented by a course in the seminary at Fairfield.
On the 12th of August, 1862, he responded to the
country's call for troops, and enlisting in Company
G. of the Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, marched to the
front. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant,
and on the 4th of August, 1863, while at home on
a furlough granted him on account of wounds re-
ceived, he was promoted to the rank of First Lieu-
tenant. Ill health, brought on by his injuries,
caused him of necessity to resign in April, 1864,
but the time which he served he participated in
many important battles, including the engagements
at Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Jackson,
Miss., the charge against Vickshurg, the battles at
Cherokee Station, Lookout Mountain, Missionary
Ridge and Ringgold. He was wounded during the
charge on Vickshurg, on the 22d of May, 1863,
in the left lung, ihe ball passing through and
lodging just beneath the skin in the back. After
returning home he improved to some extent
in health until about 1868, when the effect of his
wound caused a serious illness, accompanied by
great suffering for years, but at present writing he
is enjoying comparatively fair health.

Mr. Chester made farming the pursuit of his
mature years until 1871, when he came to Fair-
field, and later embarked in the grocery business.

continuing the same until the autumn of 1879,
when he was elected Sheriff of Jefferson County.
He entered upon the duties of his office January
1,1880, w.as re-elected in the f.all of 1881, and
served until January 1, 1884, when he declined a
further renomination. He ra.ade a good record as
the books in the office show. The following is a
brief account of the labors he performed during
his four years of service. In that period he had
two hundred and sixty persons confined in the Jef-
ferson County Jail, in his care. Of these, he took
thirty-five to the asylum for insane at Mt. Pleas-
ant and returned nearly as many more. He brought
six persons on requisition from other States, two
from Ohio, two from Illinois, one from Minnesota
and one from Missouri. He took thirty-two con-
victs to the States prison; of that number not one
escaped, and of the many arrested but one es-
caped from his custody, and he was recaptured.
Many other items of interest might be given if
space permitted, but, in closing the official record of
Capt. Chester, we can say, knowing that all nearly
interested agree in the same, that no Sheiiff of Jef-
ferson County has been more popular, nor have the
duties of the office been performed in a more
satisfactory .and capable manner. In politics the
Captain is an uncompromising Republican and
uses his influence for the support of that party
which he believes will bring the greatest good to
the greatest number. He is an honored member of
Clinton Lodge No. 15, A. F. <fe A. M. ; of the
Chapter, R. A. M.; and of Jerusalem Command-
ery, K. T. He also belongs to George Srong
Post, G. A. R. Serving for six years as a member
of the Fairfield School Board, during four of which
he filled the position of President, he has done much
for the advancement of the city schools and the
cause of education eliciting his warmest sympathy,
has found in him a stanch friend. He was appointed
Postmaster of Fairfield June 23, 1890, and entered
upon the discharge of the duties of that office July
11.

Capt. Chester was married September 22, 1864,
in Jefferson County, to Miss Olive E. Hendricks,
a daughter of James H. Hendricks. By tlieir union
there have been born one son and three daugh-
ters— Flora E., Mildred J., Daisy E. and Frank

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

295

M. The (leatli of the mother occuned July 13,
1878, and Capt. Chester was again married Decem-
ber 4, 1879, to Miss Elizabetli McKemey, a native
of Fairfield, and a daughter of J. A. McKcnie}'.
The Captain has recently bought a homestead near
the business center of Fairfield, which he lias re-
modeled and fitted up at considerable expense, and
now has one of the finest residences in the city.
He enjoys in a marked degree the warm regard of
a wide circle of friends, who have known him for
many years and esteem him as an upright, honor-
able man, a gallant soldier, an eflScient and faith-
ful civil officer, and a neighbor and friend on
whom all, with confidence, can rely.

<| MLLIAM ALSTON, a retired farmer resid-
\/~\l '"o ^" Fairfield, was born in Lancaster-
\^y^J shire. England, September 29, 1811, and
is a son of William and Elizabeth (Hayes) Alston,
both of whom were natives of the same county, the
father born in 1778, the mother in 177C. "William
Alston, Sr., was a cabinet maker by trade but made
farming his chief occupation. He once came to
America and for a short time remained in St.
Louis, Mo., but not liking the country he returned
to his native land, where he spent the remainder
of his da^'s. Both he and his wife died at the age
of eighty-seven jears. In their family were ten
children, four sons and six daughters, but with the
exception of our subject onl}- one is living in the
United States — John, a retired farmer of Illinois.
Edward came to this country and spent some time
in California but returned to England.

William Alston, whose name heads this sketch,
is a self-made man. As soon as he was old enough
he began earning his own living and in consequence
his educational advantages were quite limited. At
the age of fifteen years, his father sent him to Liv-
erpool to work for a month at the joiner's trade to
see how he would like the business, that being the
custom in those days, but not finding it to his taste
he returned to the farm. By chance a pamphlet

fell into his hands which was sent to England by a
Mr. Flowers, who had come to America and located
in Edwards Count}-, 111. This publication, like all
othei's of its kind, told how easily one could make
a fortune in this country, and with the hope of
bettering his condition and ra|Mdly acquiring
wealth, in 1837 Mr. Alston set sail for the United
States. On arriving in Edwards County, he found
that one could get the chills much easier than a
dollar. The following year he came to Iowa, lo-
cating in Van Buren County, and after engaging
in the grocer}^ business in Lexington for about a
year, he once more changed his place of residence
and settled in Fairfield in June of 1840, however,
continuing operations in the same line of business.
Soon afterward he made his first purcliase in real
estate. Buying a claim, he carried on farming in
connection with his grocery, and as op|)ortunity
oHered he would buy a land warra.it, locate it and
hold for an advance in prices. Tract after tract he
added to the original amount until he at length
owneil some three thousand acres in this and sur-
rounding counties, retaining still in his possession
seven hundred and forty acres. Since 18.'>8 he h.is
devoted himself exclusively to farming and stock-
raising and has met with excellent success. Al-
though he found that a fortune couki not be
acquired merely by coming to this country, he saw
thai one of industrious .ind energetic habits could
make for himself a comfortable home, as land could
be obtained from the (lovernment at a nominal
price.

On Christmas Day of 1843, Mr. Alston was
united in marriage with Miss Ruth Vouhn, who
died in November, 18G3. Ten children were born
unto them, four of whom were living at the time
of her death, but only three are now living; Will-
iam E., a farmer of this count}'; M.ary, wife of
Henry Vote, and Henry C, who is also engaged in
farming. In October, 1865, Mr. Alston was again
married, his second union being with Mrs. Jane
Wiley nee Stewart, a native of Pennsylvania. .She
survived her marriage only seven years, dj'ing in
1872.

In political sentiment, Mr. Alston w.as formerly
a Whig and since the dissolution of that party has
voted with the Democracy. He has never sought

298

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

of which he has been a member three years; he was
the enumerator for Locust Grove Township in 1 890,
and has frequently been sent as a delegate to the
county conventions of the Republican party, of
which he is a stalwart advocate. He helped to
nominate Gov. Gear and is an influential member
of the conventions. Socially, Mr. Salts is a mem-
ber of George Strong Post, No. 19, G. A. R., and
was appointed Aid-de-camp on Gen. Tuttle's staff.
His vvife is a member of t-iie Baptist Church of
Erookville. Two children have been born unto
Mr. and Mrs. Salts — John and Samuel G., who are
yet under the parental roof.

-^^-

i|/_^ ON. ISAAC D. .T0NP:S, senior member of
Y] the law firm of Jones it Fnllen,of Fairfield,
is a pioneer of Jefferson County, of 1845.
A native of Johnson County, Ind., he was
born near the town of Franklin, on the Oth of
April, 1832, and is a son of William C. and Per-
molia A. (Vaughan) Jones, who were natives of
North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. The
sketch of the father apiiears elsewhere in this work.
Onr subject .attended the public schools of his
native town until March, 1845, when, at the age of
Ihirteeu j-ears, he accompanied his parents on their
emigration to Jefferson County, Iowa. He here
()ursued his studies, as opportunity afforded, and
in 1851 was employed as clerk in the office of the
County Recorder, continuing to serve in that posi-
tion for three years. lie then spent three or four
years in Northern Missouri, traveling and specula-
ting, and after his return to Fairfield, in 1858, gave
his attention to the study of law, being admitted to
the bar in 1860, since which time he has been con-
stantly engaged in practice in Fairfield. During a
portion of Andrew Johnson's administration he
held the office of Postmaster at Fairfield, but the
greater part of his time has been devoted exclu-
sively to the profession which he has made his life
work. In 1870 he formed a partnership with W.
B. Culbertson, novv a prominent criminal lawyer of

Burlington, Iowa, aiid llie connection continued
until 1882, when Mr. Culbertson removed to his
present home. Their career, covering a continu-
ous [leriod of twelve years, was a prosperous one.
For a year and a half Mr. Jones continued alone in
business, when in December, 1883, he formed the
existing partnership with Charles D. Fullen.

The marriage of Mr. Jones and Miss Rachel E.
Young was celebrated in Jefferson County, on the
11th of December, 1856, the lady being a daughter
of Joseph and Mary Young. She was born in
Johnson County, Ind.. and came to Jefferson
County, Iowa, with her parents, both of whom are
now deceased. By their union has been liorn a
family of live children, one son and four daugh-
ters, as follows: Anna, who became the wife of
Fred Moore, of Jewell, Hamilton County, Iowa;
Kate M., who is a teacher in the Fairfield ■city
schools of nine years experience; Elizabeth R., who
is also a teacher in the Fairfield sciiools; and Effle
M., who has been engaged in teaching but is now a
student in a business college in Burlington. The
daughters were all educated in the State Normal
School of Cedar Falls, ami are ladies of culture and
more than average intelligence, being well fitted for
the positions which thej' hold. Frank IL, the only-
son, is now fifteen jears of age and a student in the
city schools.

In politics, Mr. Jones is a Democrat, but has
never indulged in political aspirations. He was
elected Maj^or of Fairfield in 1874, at a non-partisan
election, and was once a candidate for the Legisla-
hiture, running in opposition to H. B. Mitchell, a
popular Republican, but was defeated in eonse-
quoncp of his party being in the minority. So-
cially, he is a member of Jefferson Lodge, No. 4,
I. O. O. F., and Mrs. Jones is a member of the
Presbyterian Church, as are also her daughters.
For the past fifteen years Mr. Jones has owned a
fine farm of eighty-five acres situated a half-mile
south of the city, where with his family he has re-
sided during that period. Its close proximity to
Fairfield furnislies iiim with all the conveniences
and luxuries of city life, combined with the pure
air and freedom of the country. As a practitioner,
he ranks among the best, being numbered among
the most successful members of the Jefferson

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

299

County bar, where he lias now been constantly en-
gaged in the ijroseciition of his profession for thirty
years. lie is also one of the most highlj' respecteil
citizens of the county.

c-mlEH"

ILLIAM WALLACE .JUNKIN. editor and
senior proprietor of the Fairfield Ledgevi
*^'w is the oldest editor in continual service in
Iowa. He is also a pioneer of tliis State of 1843.
He was born in Wheeling, W. Va., on the 26lli of
January, 1831, and is a son of .Joseph and Sarah
(Rambo) Junkin. His father, a native of Penn-
sylvania, was born October 20, 1788, and liis
mother was born in the same State on the 3d of
June, 1790. They were married December 20,
1808, and their family consisted of six sons and
five daughters — David Finlc}', who was born Feb-
ruary' 12, 1810, married Harriet Walker, Novem-
ber 13, 1831, and died Septembers, 1844; Eleanor,
born Sei)ten)ber 24, 1811. was the wife of James
Gibson and died in 1848; Joseph, born May 2,
1813, died August 1 4 of the following year; Jo-
seph, the second of that name, who was born Feb-
ruary 10, 1815, wedded Mar}' M. Cotton, on the
8th of November, 1830, and is now a resident of
Red Oak. Iowa; Nancy Gailowa}- married Robert
S. Hunter, May 3, 1830, and is living in Newcastle,
Pa.; Jolm George, born February 19, 1819, died
October 19, 1837; Sarah Margaret, born June
10, 1821, became the wife of George W. Clutter,
who served as a Ca|)tain in the Mexican War and
died July 10, 18.57. after which his widow, on the
21st of September, 1805, became the wife of the
Rev. Frederick A. Shearer, and is now living in
Colfax, Iowa; Mary B. F., born February 24,
1824, died June 18, 1833; Narcissa Doddridge
was born April 2, 1826, and on the 1st of jNIarch,
1849, became the wife of James Shriver Beck, of
Fairfield, Iowa; Matthew Johnson, who was born
May 16, 1829, and died in Fairfield a few years
ago, was married March 15, 1855, to Ellen E-
Moorman, who died in 1809; William Wallace

completes the family. The father died July 22,
1857, and the mother on the 17th of April, 1805,
both in Fairfield.

The subject of this sketch came to Iowa with
his parents in the spring of 1843, the family lo-
cating in Lee County, but the following year they
removed to Louisa County, and in 1845 settled
in Jefferson County. Two years later they took
up their residence in Fairfield. William Wallace
received his first lessons in his present business as
a type-setter in the office of the Wheeling (^'a.)
Argus,^he\i only ten j-ears of age, and on locating in
Fairfield in the fall of 1847, he commenced an ap-
prenticeship in the office of the Iowa ScnUnrl,
which had been established in Fairfield by A. R.
Sparks that year. In the summer of 1848 Mr.
Sparks sold the paper to Ezra Brown and R. B.
Pope, which threw young Junkin t)ut of employ-
ment, but his former employer kindly secured him
a situation in Des Moines with Col. Bailow Granger,
and he aided in issuing the first number of the
Slur in June, 1848, the first paper printed in the
Capital City. After remaining in Des Moines
several months he returned to Fairfield. During
the winter of 1848-49 he was emploj-cd in the
office of the Ottumvfa Courier, wbicli was published
b}' Street & Warden, and in November, 1849, he ac-
cepted a position as compositor in the office of the
Fairfield Ledger, which onl^' a short time previous
had been established by Orlando McCraney. He
continued with that gentleman until the spring
of 1851, when he went to Richmond, Va., where
he was employed two years in tijo State printing-
office. On the 10th of May, 1853, he returned to
Fairfield, and ten days later he purchased a half-
interest in the Ledger of its proprietor, A. R. Ful-
ton, for $400, and commenced the newspaper
business and the battle of life in earnest. That
connection was continued until August 14, 1854,
when Mr. Junkin became sole proprietor. The
paper continued to prosper and made friends
among the best people in Jefferson ami adjoin-
ing counties, and its proprietor improved it as
his increased means permitted. On the 8th of Au-
gust, 1808, he formed a partnership with Ralph
Robinson, rtceiving $2,500 for one-half interest
in the office, and tlie connection was continued

300

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

pleasantly and profltahly until January 5, 1875,
when Mr. Robinson retired, receiving |4,500 for
his share in the business, power presses and other
improvements Laving enhanced the value of the
office to S9,000. On the retirement of Mr. Rob-
inson, the eldest son of our subject, Charles M.
Junkin, became co-manager, bringing with him
into the business not only the experience he had
acquired under the careful direction of his father,
but the knowledge gained while in the Government
printing office in Washington City. On the 26th
of May, 1878, he was admitted to partnership with
his fatiier, and the existing firm of W. W. and
C. M. Junkin was established. Tiie Ledger has
continued a favorite among the pople and has
never flagged in its earnest advocacy of the best
and wisest course in all public matters, politica'
and otherwise, and has prospered accordingly.

On the 14th of September, 1854, William Wal-
lace Junkin and Miss Elizabeth Patrick, daughter
of William and Am}' (Morris) Patrick, were united
in the holy bonds of matrimony. The lady is a
native of Ross County, Ohio, and came to Fair-
Held with her father in 1847. Eight children,
four sons and four daughters, have been born of
their union — Charles Monroe, the eldest, who was
born in Fairfield, May 18, 1855, is represented
elsewhere in this volume; May, born August 19,
1856, became the wife '/f Nathaniel McGittin,
May 16, 1877, and is now living in Montana;
Gertrude, born September 7, 1858, was married
January 3, 1878, to W. W. McCrackin, president
of The Silver Bow National Bank, of Butte. Mont.;
Virginia, twin sister of Gertrude, is the wife of
J. B. Swinburne, editor of the Humboldt ITusmos,
of Humboldt, Iowa; Amy, who was born Febru-
ary 5, 1862, is the wife of the Rev. J. F. Hinkhouse,
of Lenox, Taylor County, Iowa; William David,
born April 13, 1864, is a clerk in the railwa3^ mail
service; Paul Sheridan, born August 12, 1867, is
a practical printer, and until recently was em-
ployed in the Ledger office; Robert Tupper, born
June 23, 1871, is attending school.

Mr. Junkin is a Republican in politics and an
active and influential supporter of that party.
His acquaintance throughout the State and nation
is extensive, and his influence in political circles

is widely felt. The Ledger, under his able man-
age^nent, has become one of the leading papers of
State, aufl is always reliable in its devotion to the
interests of the Rp|)ublican party. On the 22d
of April, 1889, Mr. Junkin was appointed Inspec-
tor of Indian agencies under the administration of
President Benjamin Harrison, being one of five
employed in that department of the public serv-
ice. The position is one of great responsibility
and trust, and from the nature of tiie duties in-
volved reflects credit upon those selected for the
office. While actively connected with the cam-
paign work of his |)arty, Mr. Junkins never con-
sented to be a candidate for office as his newspaper
business occupied his time and demanded his at-
tention until his son had become sufficiently ex-
perienced to assume its management. All worthy
public enterprises enlist his sympathy and support.
He wases'pecially active in aiding in the construction
of the new Methodist Episcopal Cliurch, and was
the recognized financial leader and manager of
that important undertaking. His liberality in that
direction as well as in the support of the public
library and encouragement of railway construc-
tion and other enterprises calculated to benefit his
city and county, has always been in excess of his
means. As a journalist, Mr. Junkin takes rank
among the foremost men in Iowa, and as a citizen
he commands and enjoj'S the unqualified respect
and esteem of a wide circle of acquaintances and
friends.

\f]OHN GEORGE BURKHART, a farmer and
stockraiser of Locust Grove Township, re-
siding on section 25, came to Jefferson
County in 1857, and therefore ranks among
her early settlers. He was born in New York
City in 1834, being the third in a family of six
children born of tlie union of J. G. Burkhart
and Rosina E. Miller. His father was a New
York farmer and spent his entire life in that State,
.as did also his mother.

Our subject was reared to manhood in New

PORTRAIT A^'D BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

301

York, remaining iinrler the parental roof until his
icmoval to the West, and was educated in the
schools of his native county. Li 1S57. while still
single, he bade gooc(-by to his old home and cast
his lot with the early settlers of Iowa. He has
never h.id occasion to regret the step then taken,
for in this western country he has prospered fin-
ancially, and has formed man^' warm friendships
which liind him closely to the community. For
twenty years after his arrival in Iowa he was en-
gaged as a bridge builder in the empkn* of the
Chicago, Burlington it Quiney Railroad Company,
.working mostly between Omaha and Burlington.
Li the latter city and in Fairfield he made his
home during that time. His long service with one
company indicates his faithfulness to dut^' and the
efficiency displayed in work, also the trust re-
|)osed in him by his employers. He is worthy of
their regard, for every task was conscientiously
performed and would bear the closest inspection.
In 18G1, in Jefferson County, Mr. Burkhart was
united in marriage with Miss Rhoda M. Black, a
native of Ohio and daughter of Moses and Nancy
(Glasgow) Black, whose liirthplaces were also in
the Buckeye State, whence they removed to this
county in 1844, locating in Des Moines Township.
Her father served as the first County Judge of Jef-
ferson County, and was an influential and honored
citizen. His death occurred in 1868, but his wife
survived until 1882.

Mr. and Mrs. Burkhart began their domestic life
in Fairfield, but afterward removed to Burlington.
In 1875 he purchased an improved farm of one hun-
dred and sixty acres, but continued with the rail-
road company for some time longer. It was not
until 187i) that he gave his entire attention to
agricultural pursuits, but in that year he reinoved
to his present home on section 25, Locust Grove
Township, where he owns a good farm. The
original boundary has been extended until it em-
braces two hundred and seventy-six acres, all of
which is under a high state of cultivation and
greatly improved. A man of energy' and indomi-
table will, Mr. Burkhart .accomplishes everything
he undertakes if the end can be reached by hon-
orable means. He is a valued citizen of the com-
munity and takes an active interest in everything

for the upbuilding of town and county. He has
served on the School Board in his home district,
has labored for the interests of education and
provided his children with good adv.antages. He
served as a bridge contractor for Jefferson County
for some nine years. In his political affiliations
he is a Republican and one who in a quiet w.ay,
without seeking preferment for himself, labors for
the success and welfare of his part}-. Both he and
his wife are members of the Baptist Church, of
Fairfield, and in the social world are held in high
regard.

Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Burk-
hart, but two of the number are deceased — Katie
F.., who died at the age of five years; and Bloses
T. F., who died when three months old. The
living are: William G., who is married and re-
sides in Locust C4rove Township; Anna M. at
home; and Benjamin and Joseph, who are yet with
their parents.

-i^^-

^ felLLIAM C. JONES, one of the honored
\rJ/ pioneers of Jefferson County, came to

'y/'^yj Iowa during its Territorial days, having
since 1845 been identified with the history of Jef-
ferson and Van Buren Counties. From his earliest
residence in this community he was recognized as
one of the leading spirits. A friend to all worthy
enterprises he gave liberally in support of public
interests calculated to benefit the community, and
was especially earnest in his efforts to advance the
cause of education.

Mr. Jones was born in Surrey, N. C, July 9, 1 801),
and is a son of Horatio Jones. The American branch
of the family was founded in Maryland, and was
of Welsh origin. When a lad of six years, Mr.
Jones accompanied his ))arents, who removed to
Southwestern ^'irginia, where he grew to manhood,
and on the 20th of February, 1831, was united in
marriage with Permelia A. Vaughan, who was de-
scended from an earlj' ^'irginian family of English
origin, her [jarents being William K. and Elizabeth
Vaughan. In December of the same year, accom-

302

POHTRAIT AND mOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

paniod liy his young bride, Mr. Jones emigrated
to Johnson Coi-Uity, Ind., where he devoted liis
energies to agricultural pursuits. He also became
one of the prominent citizens of that community,
and served in many otlioial capacities, holding the
offices of County Assessor, County Commissioner,
Collector, Sheriff, and United States Census Taker
of tli.at county in 1840. Once more he determined
to cast his lot with the pioneer settlement, and
carrying out his resolution, arrived in Jefferson
County on tlie 31st of March, 1845. Locating in
Cedar Township, he eiitei-ed government bind, and
subsequently entered and sold various tracts in
tliat communitj-. He made his home in Cedar
Townsliii) until 1851, when he removed to a farm
near Fairfi(dd, and in 1864 took up his residence
in Round Prairie Township. Three years later he
aliandoned farm life, an'] removing to the village
(if Winchester, in Van Buren County, he embarked
ill the mercantile business, which he continued un-
til 1870. Changing iiis pl.ace of residence from
AV'incliester to Fairfield in that year, he then retired
from active business life, and has spent the suc-
cesding years in the enjoyment of the fruits of his
former toil.

>[r. Jones lost his wife by death in 1889, she
passing away on the 18th of October of that 3'ear.
Their family numbered six children, five sons and
a daughter, all born in Johnson County, Ind.
Isaac D. married Miss Rachel E. Young, who was
also a native of Johnson County; he is now en-
gaged in tlie pr.actice of law. William H. married
Miss Rachel E. Jones, a distant relativo, and for a
time engaged in farming, after which he engaged
in the drug business until his death, in September,
1882; Cornelius A. married Emeline E. Young, and
is now a resident of FairfieM. wliere he has carried,
on the drug business since 1867; Martin Van Buren,
wlio wedded Miranda V. Johnson, served in the
Twenty-sixth Missouri Infantry until severel.y
wounded at tlie battle of Champion Hills, ISIiss.,
after which he returned home and died in April,
1881; Dr. Wiley A., a practicing phj'sician of
Cantril, Van Buren County, wedded Allhea Miller.
Elizalieth R. died in 1864, unmarried; she was the
youngest of the family.

In 1850 Mr. Jones was elected .School Fund

Commissioner, which office lie held for two terms,
and was United States Census Taker of the east
half of the county in 1860. As before stated, he
has labored for the interests of the county in which
he has long made h's home, and by concentrated
effort, supplemented by good judgment, has borne
no inconsiderable part in the great progress which
has taken place during the past forty-five years.
In his business affairs he was also successful, and
by his upriglit dealing and courteous treatment to
all, won a liberal patronage and secured the confi-
dence of all with wlioin he came in contact. In
political sentiment he is a conservative Democrat.
He has made the political history of his country a
study, and is also well versed in current events.
He possesses a retentive memory, and has stored
up a fund of useful knowledge, which at once
makes him an instructive and entertaining conver-
sationalist. In his religious associations he is a
member of the Christian Church, to vhich his wife
also belonged. Mr. Jones lias now reached the
advanced age of eight3'one years. His life has
been well and worthily spent, and he is highly re-
spected and widel}- known, especially' among the
older settlers of the county.

ENJAMIN D. PIERCE, an honored citizen
of Fairfield, has been a resident of Iowa for
'^))II1 '-^ I'^lf century. He is now an old man of
eighty-six years. He has witnessed three of
the four wars in which our country has been en-
gaged, has seen the introduction of the manv won-
derful inventions which characterize this era in the
world's history, and has vvatched the steady pro-
gress of civilization constantly marching westward.
His birth-])lace was Grayson Countj', Va., Lis boy-
hood days were spent in Ohio, he passed his earl}'
manhood j'ears in AVayne County, Ind., and for
half a centuiy he lias resided in Iowa.

The Pierce family to which our subject belongs
was founded in America during the seventeenth
century by his paternal grandfather, George Pierce,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

303

who, accompanied by three brothers, emigrated
from England in tlie colony with William Ponn,
and settlod in Philadelphia. All were followers of
the same faith as their leader, and to a great extent
their descendants have embraced the doctrine of
the Society of Friends. The grandfather of Mr.
Pierce was married in this countr\', and settled in
Chester County, Pa., where, on the 28th of Feltruary,
1755, was born (Jainer Pierce, the father of our'
subject. On attaining man's estate he wedded
Ixutli Davies, who was born August 5, 1763, in
Chester County, and was of Welsh descent. They
began their domestic life in the Keystone State,
Init afterward removed to (ira3"son Count}', Va.,
and in 1809 became residents of Miami County,
Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their lives.
For a livelihood Sir. Pierce follovved the wagon-
maker's trade. He lived the quiet and unassuming
life common to the people of his religious faith,
and died in Ohit), October 23, 1821. His wife
afterward married Benjamin Iddings. and died in
March, 1840.

Our subject, who was born on the 25th of Sep-
tember, 1804, was the youngest of seven children,
five sons and two daughters, and is tlie only sur-
viving one. He received l)ut little ojiportunity for
securing an education, but in the district schools
managed to gain a fair knowledge of the three R's.
When about fifteen years of age he learned the
carpenter and cabinet maker's trade, at which he
worked until his marriage, which occurred in Mi-
ami County, Ohio, August 30, 1827, the lady of
his choice being Rachel Coppock, who was born in
Bliami County, Ohio, t)ctober 8, 180y. Removing
to Indiana, they made thei'' home in Wayne County
until 1841, when they became residents of Henry
County, Iowa, where Mr. Pierce purchased about
one thousand .acres of land, on which he made
many and important improvements. From Henry
County he removed to Newton, Jasper County,
where he was residing during the exciting times
which preceded the Kite war. When the question
of the abolition of slavery came u|) afresh, he took
a decided stand with the Abolitionists, and made
public addresses in some forty counties of Iowa,
many times at the peril of his life. He also took
an active [lart in assisting negroes on their way to

freedom by means of the celebrated Underground
Railroad. Then being off the direct line, he re-
moved to Fairfield in order that he might better
assist in that work.i^Mr. Pierce cast his first Presi-
dential vote for: Henry Clay, and continued to sup-
port the Whig party until its dissolution, since
which time he has voted with the Republican
party.

For nearly sixty-three years'Mr. and Mrs. Pierce
traveled life's journey together as man and wife,
hut the ties of. this eart.h were broken, and on the
2d of Ain-il, 18;)0, the spirit of the loved wife re-
turned to Him who gave it, leaving the bereaved
husband to continue on alone until he too shall
be called to cross tlie dark river and meet the
loved one gone before. They had no children of
their own, but Mr. Pierce has not been left with-
out a comforter. Twenty years ago the woi'thy
couple took into their home Miss Mary C. Ruby,
and lavishing upon her the love and attention
which would have been given to children of their
own, they were repaid by her kind ministrations to
them in their old age, [irompted b}' all the affec-
tion and fidelity of a daughter. At the age of
eighty-six, Mr. Pierce still lingers on the shores of
time, beloved and respected bj' those who know
him and appreciate his worth. He has been honest
in his dealings and upright in character. Of this
world's goods he has enough and to spare.

Il^ ANIEL K. KITTLE, the efficient Recorder
of Van Buren County, and a representa-
CjSuifP' five citizen of Keosauqua, was born in
Hamilton County, Ohio, on the 2d of
August. 1826. The Kittle family originated in
Holland and the American progenitor was Daniel
Kittle, the grandfather of our subject, ^vho at an
early d.ay braved the hardships aiul ditHculties of
an ocean passage to make a home in the New World.
He settled in the Taggart Vallej' of Virginia, and
married Miss Catherine Crum, a native of Holland.
They became parents of the following children:

S04

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

John wediled a Miss Gibson and settled in Indiana;
William manied a sister of his brother's wife and
became a resident of the same State; Jacob made
his home in Dearborn County, Ind.; Ellas, who
was joined in wedlock with Miss Hayes, died in
Dearborn County; Solomon married a Miss Gib-
son; Phineas was the father of Daniel K. ; and
Daniel wedded a Miss Downe}', sister of Judge
Downey, of Indiana.

Phineas Kittle, who was a native of ^'irginia,
married Margaret Luke, and shortly afterwards re-
moved with his young bride to Indiana, settling in
Dearborn, now Ohio County. At that time, the
entire country round about was a waste wilderness
and the pioneers of the community hewed out their
farms in the uiidst of the heavy timber. Not a
railroad crossed the State and the only mean.s of
conveyance was the prairie schooner. It will read-
ily be seen that the early settlers thus had but few
comforts and conveniences and were forced, lo en-
dure many hardships and difficulties such as are in-
cident to life on the frontier. Mr. Kittle devoted
his time and attention to the development of a farm
and being an industrious and energetic man suc-
ceeded in his undertaking. He and his estimable
wife were numbered among the highlj' respected
citizens of the community in which they located.
Unto them was born a family of ten children, nine
of whom lived to adult age: Thomas, the eldest,
was twice married, and died in Ohio County, Ind.;
Eleanor is the wife of Eli Corson, of Clarke County,
Mo.; D. K., of this sketch, is the next younger;
Mary is the wife of A. McCuUough, of Van Buren
County, Iowa; John is also living in the same
county; Solomon married Miss Clement and is
living in Ohio County, Ind.; Samuel is married
and makes his home in Van Buren County; Martin
Van Buren is located in Ohio County, Ind.; and
Richard, the youngest, makes his home in Kansas.

For thirty-five years, I). K. Kittle has been a
resident of Van Buren County and almost from
the date of his settlement he has been regarded as
one of the prominent and influential citizens of the
community. He has aided not a little in the up-
building of the county's best interests, especially
in the advancement of the cause of education, and
for a number of years was employed in the capac-

ity of teacher. His own education was somewhat
limited. He became familiar with the elementary
branches of learning in a log sohoolhouse with a
puncheon floor, slab seats and oiled paper windows,
but many men of note were similarly trained in
their j'outli. When a lad of fifteen years, in the
winter of 1840-41, he was attacked with the white
swelling and in all these years has failed to find a
remedy which would effect a permanent cure. This
unfitted him for hard manual labor and his atten-
tion was necessarily called to other pursuits. Being
studious by nature and desirous of obtaining a
better education, his brother John gave him finan-
cial assistance and he was enabled to prosecute his
studies until he became a well-informed man. The
spring of 18.54 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Kittle
in lowaville. Van Buren County, and embarking
in the profession of teaching he followed that pur-
suit with marked success until 1872. Previous to
that time he had filled a number of township offices,
having acted as clerk, assessor, etc., and in the
autumn of the 3ear above mentioned he was elected
Recorder of Van Buren County. Almost two de-
cades have since passed away, yet with the exception
of a term of two years, he has been continuously
the incumbent of that office and for one year dur-
ing his absence from the same, he served as Deputy
Treasurer.

In the autumn succeeding his arrival in the
county, Mr. Kittle was united in the holy bonds of
matrimon}' with Miss Lavina McCullough and five
living children grace their union, the eldest of
whom is Dora, wife of A. P. Hart, of Yellowstone
County, Mont. ; Delia, the next younger, is at
home; Roger holds the position of Deputy Re-
corder; George is employed in the marble works
of Oskaloosa; and Myrl completes the number.

In early life Mr. Kittle was a supporter of Demo-
cratic principles and affiliated with that party until
the Presidential election of 1860, when his views
coinciding with those of the Republican party he
gave his support to Abraham Lincoln and has since
been a stalwart advocate of the party, which then
for the first time gained control of the reins of
government. His constituents have had no occa-
sion to regret placing him in the various offices he
has filled and in his long continued service as

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

305

County Recorder, we find ample proof of his effi-
ciency and fidelitj' to diit3-. Few men are better
known in this section of the country than D. K.
Kittle and none are more universally respected
than he.

M. BICKFORD, of Fairfield, deserves a
place in the record of the pioneer settlers
and prominent citizens of Jefferson County.
He was born in Maine, June 3, 1817. His
father, William Bickford, a native of the same
State, went to sea when a boy and so faithfully did
he discharge his duties that he was promoted step
by step until he liecame commander of a vessel.
During his seafaring life he made several trips to
the East Indies. At the age of sixtj-.five he quit
the dangerous life of a sailor and devoted himself
to the less exciting, j'et safer pursuit of farming,
which he followed in Maine, where he spent iiis
last days dying at the age of eighty-eigiit years.
His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Smith,
was also born in the Pine Tree Stale, and died when
our subject was less than a year old, leaving three
children, of whom S. M. and a sister still survive.
After the death of his first wife, William Bickford
was again married and liad a family of five children.
Politically he was an old time Democrat and with
all the patriotism of an American seaman, espoused
the principles of '-free trade and sailor's riglits."

Left motherless at so early an age, the early
training of our subject was entrusted to a step-
mother who was not tlie least noted for sweetness
(jf disposition or kindness to the children to whom
she was to take the place of mother. Early in life he
began to provide for his own wants and from a ten-
der age has made liis own way in the world. When
ayouth he served a three years' apprenticeship to
the machinist's trade and on tlie completion of that
term worked several years as a journeyman.
In 1844 he went to the Island of Cuba as a me-
chanical engineer, remaining twelve months, and
then spent one year in Illinois. In 1847 lie first
set foot upon Iowa soil, locating in Burlington

where he made his headquarters about two years
though he worked at different places in tlie State.
He then came to'[Fairfield where he has since
made his home although he spent one winter in
Mississippi, and one in Wisconsin. He was an
expert workman and his labors as a machinist
have always been received with general satisfac-
tion. Conscientious in the discharge of liis duty he
won the confidence of the public and soon secured
a liberal patironage. He has entered several hun-
dred acres of land in tlie western counties of Iowa
which he still owns, and as real estate is gradually
increasing in value it will in lime make him a
wealthy man. In his political afHliations Mr. Bick-
ford was a Democrat until the war, since which
time he has voted with the Republican party. He
has never been an office seeker but when public
trust was accorded him he discharged his dut3- hon-
orably and acceptably. For some twelve or fifteen '
years he held the position of Township Trustee and
his long service in one office is certainly a high tes-
timonial of the general satisfaction vvith which his
efforts were received. He has now made Jefferson
County his home for morejthaii forty years and has
always been a respected and worthy citizen. He
keeps] himself well informed on all puhlic issues,
and is progressive and zealous in whatever tends
to benefit the community.

riM^

ON. CHARLES D. LEGGETT, Judge of
|i the Second Judicial District of Iowa, was
born in Carrolton, Carroll Count}', Obio,
»^ October 8, 1849, and is a son of Richard
H. and Basheba (\'iers) Leggett. In 1855, when a
child of six years, he came to Fairfield, Iowa, with
his parents, and has since made this city his home.
He attended the schools of Fairfield in childhood,
later was a student in Griswold College, of Daven-
port, and completed his education in Kenyon Col-
lege, of Gambler, Ohio, graduating from that in-
stitution in 1869, at the head of his class. With a
desire to make the legal profession his life work, he

306

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

entered upon the study of law under the direction
of Hon. D. P. Stubbs,of Fairlield, and w:is admitted
to the bar June 6, 1872, and soon afterward to
practice in tlio United States circuit and district
courts. On the same day lie entered upon his pro-
fessional career in Fairfield as a partner of his
former preceptor, D. P. Stubbs, the Arm being
styled Stubbs & Leggett. That connection con-
tinued six 3'ears and on its dissolution. Judge Legg-
ett became the senior member of the law firm of
Leggett & McKemey of Fairfield, which continued
business until the withdrawal of Judge Leggett on
liis election to the bench.

On September 2, 1885, the Judge was united in
marriage in ('enterville, Ohio, witli JMiss Beatrice
Cunningham, daughter of P. F.Cunningham. The
lady was born in Centerville and is a gi'aduate of
Parsons College, of Fairliehl. They have two chil-
dren, a son and a (hiughter — Richard C, born
Octobers, 188G, and Ruth, March 26, 1885).

Tlie Judge is a Republican in politics but has
not been an active politician.

r

'If^ROF. RICHARD A. HARKNESS,Pii. D.,
professor of the latin language and litera-
ture in Parsons College, of Fuirfield, is an
j \ educator of thirty years experience and of
well known and recognized ability througlunit the
State. He was born in Delhi, Delaware County,
N. Y., November 25, 1839. Of almost pure Scotch
blood, he has inherited the phj-sical and mental
characteristics of that people. His paternal grand-
parents came from the North of Ireland, though
tiieir ancestors emigrated from Scotland at the time
of the persecution and sought refuge on the Emer-
ald Isle. His maternal grandparents came direct
from Scotland and both families settled in New
York. Their lives were simple and unostentatious,
but intensely religious. To such homes we ai-e
greatly indebted for the greatest and best charac-
ters of our American civilization. '.The Professor's
parents, Robert and Lydia (Leal) Harkness, were

natives of New York,jwhich State was their home
throughout life, he being a farmer by occupation.
His deatli occurred in the prime of manhood when
forty-two years of age, leaving a family of ten chil-
dren, four sons and six daughters, of whom Prof.
Harkness is the eighth in order of birth. Of these
three sons and Ave daughters are still living. The
motlier lived to the advanced age of eight3'-fire
years and like her husband was a life-long member
of tiie Presbyterian Cliurch.

Prof. Harkness is the only one of;the family that
has been diverted from the ])ursnitof his ancestors —
farming, and until sixteen years of age, lie too, per-
formed such duties as are incident to the life of
fanner lads. The father dying when Richard was
only five j'ears of age, the early training of the boy
was left to his mother, who scliooled him as best she
could and never forgot to impress upon his young
mind the great principles of Christianity. Lentil
about seventeen j'ears of age he attended the com-
mon schools and the Delhi Academy. From 1856
to 1860, he w.as eng.aged iu teaching in Licking
County, Ohio, when he returned to his native city
and spent another year in the academy. In 1861,
he entered the junior class of LTnicm College, in
Schenectady, N. Y. and was graduated in 1863
with the degree of A. B. He taught in an acad-
emy in Cherry Valley, N. Y„ and continued that
work until 1864, when he was offered the position
of principal of a school in Gordon (irove, Decatur
County, Iowa. The institution was a public school
and a college combined, and for eighteen years he
stood at its head and under his efficient manage-
ment the school became very popular. Students
came from long distances and more pupils were
prepared for college at that school than at any
other in this part of the State. Through the
work done and the active part taken in normal
institutes, Prof. Harkness became well known
throughout the State and without his solicitation
or consent his name was offered as a candidate for
State Superintendent of Schools. He supports the
Republican party but has never sought official
recognition. For many 3'ears he was a member
of the .State Educational Council and was President
of the State Teachers' Association in 1882.

Prof. Harkness has never felt called upon "to

THE NEW Yopv ,

James Galliher.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

• soy

write a book" but he lias made a number of valu-
able contributions to the literature of liis profession
wliich have appeared in journals or been read be-
fore associations. In 1876, the Professor was
elected a trustee of Parsons College,of Fairfleld.but
resigned the position after six 3X'ars on being called
to his present position in 1882.

In Humeston, Iowa, on the 9th of August, 1865,
Prof. Harkness was united in marriage with Miss
.Susie, daughter of Hon. Alva and Marj' (North-
rup) Humeston, wiio emigrated to Iowa in 18G4.
Her fatlier was a prominent business man and
at one time represented Wajne County in the
Iowa Legislature. Mrs. Harkness is a native of
Trumbull Lounty, Ohio, and a cultured an<1 intel-
ligent lady, her education having been accpiired in
Hiram College. The Professor and his wife iiave
three children— Mary L., a graduate of Parsons
College, of Fairfield, in which institution she has
since taught for five years; Susie A. and Carlton
A. are still students.

Mr. Harkness is senior professor in tlie college
and is well capable of filling the position wiiich
he has now held for eight years. So far as human
effort goes he is a self made man. With good nat-
ural endowments and a first class course of train-
ing combined with long experience. Prof. Harkness
has won rank among the first educators of the
State.

.■>'^.."..-^..u,.

■vflAMES A. GALLIHER, of Fairfield, has re-
sided in Jefferson County for a longer period
than almost any of its citizens now living.
He has ever ranked among its leading and
influential men and in various official capacities has
attested liis worth as a citizen and his desire to aid
in the progress of all that would benefit the com-
munitj'.

The life record of Mr. Galliher is as follows:
His birth occurred in Fleming Count}', Ky., May
4, 1811, and in his native Stale lie was reared to
manhood. But liel'ore jjioceeding farther it would

be well to mention something about the origin of
the Galliher family which was founded in Amer-
ica by the grandfather of our subject, a gentleman
of Irish birth, who accompanied by his wife, a l^dy
of Scotch descent, left the Emerald Isle and sailed
for the Xew World. Having arrived at their desti-
nation they settled in Fleming County, Kj-., where
was born <into them a son to whom they gave the
name of James. On reaching manhood he married
Eleanor Blackburn, who was a native of Maryland
and with her parents emigrated to Fleming County,
Ky., among its earl}' settlers. James Galliher was
a farmer by occupation and followed that business
throughout the greater part of his life. He enlisted
in the War of 1812 with three of his brothers, and
he and two brothers were killed in a battle with the
Indians on the river Raisen and the other brother
who escaped with his life, was seven times wounded.
The family left to mourn the loss of the father
consisted of six children, five sons and a daughter,
but our subject is the only one who now survives.
His mother spent her last days at his home in this
county, passing away in 1856. She was a consist-
ent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and her example impressed itself u()on the minds
of her children, never to be effaced.

James A. Galliher was the fifth in order of birth
in the family and was but two years of age at the
time of his father's death. No property of any
amount being left, at an early age he was forced
to begin life for himself and in consequence his
educational advantages were very limited, being con-
fined to about eight months attendance at the com-
mon schools. Having worked for his mother until
1830, he was then married to Hannah McKee, a na-
tive of Fleming County, Ky., their union being
celebrated March 18, 1830. He followed- farming
in his native State until 1832, when with his family
he removed to Vermilion County, III., where he
made his first purchase of land — a tract of one
hundrefl and twenty acres. Thinking it would be
to his advantage to seek a home further westward,
in 1838 became to Jefferson County and at the
first land sale in Iowa, made purchase of a quarter
section. lie also entered a like amount, after which
he returned to Illinois. His first wife had died on
July II, 1836, and on December 17, 1839, he

310

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

weiidod Melinda H. Anderson, a native of Bourbon
County, Ky., born September 19, 1810. In Au-
gust, 1840, he brought his family to the new home,
locating on his farm in Cedar Township. In loolf-
ing abroad over the country to-day one can scarcely
realize wliat was its condition fifty years ago.
Wliere now appear waving fields of grain, wild
and uncultivated prairies stretclied away into the
distance; tlourisliiug towns of considerable im-
portance were not yet in existence and the entire
region round about was almost an unbrol<en wilder-
ness. Perhaps our readers may gain some idea of
the condition of tilings at that day by a description
of the way in whicli Mr. Galliher and his family
spent the first few years after their arrival. No
liouses could l)e rented and they cooked by a log
and slept in a wagon until Mr. Galliher could pre-
pare logs for building a cabin. He invited all
within reach to assist liim at the "raising" and the
invitations were all responded to, but the entire
company numbered only five. The house was 18x18
feet yet many of tlie happiest hours of the life of
our subject were passed beneatli tliat humble roof.
At lengtli the pioneer home was replaced by a
commodious briclv residence in which he lived until
liis removal to Faii-field in 1888. Hardships and
difficnlties incident to pioneer life were common to
all in that earl}' day and Mr. G.allilier and his fnm-
ilj' did not escape the general rule, but overcoming
such disadvantages, success at length smiled upon
his efforts and he is now in comfortable circum-
stances having a competency which enables him to
live a retired life.

From the time wlien he cast his first vote for
Andrew Jacltson, Mr. Gallilier has never wavered
in his support to the Democratic party, but feels an
abiding interest in its welfare and success. As be-
fore stated, lie has long served in positions of pub-
lic trust, his official career covering a period of
twenty-eiglit years, which would have been further
extended had he so desired. This fact indicates
his efficiency and ability as an offlcerand is a better
testimonial than words of praise. For eighteen
years he was Justice of the Peace, for two and a
half years he served as Sheriff and for seven years
occupied tlie position of County Trustee. He and
his wife were long associated with the Methodist

Church but becoming dissatisfied with the stand
which tlie church took in regard to the war, with-
drew from membership. He is a member of the Old
Settlers' Society.

By his first wife Mr. Galliher liad two children,
namely: Hester J., now the widow of Peter Fisher,
and Sarah E., wife of Nathaniel Young, a farmer
of Adair County, Iowa. By the present union
eight children have lieen born, Melinda B., de-
ceased wife of William Templeton; James A. who
died in his nineteenth year; Catherine A., wife of
H. Templeton; Esther who died at tlu! age of three
years; Theresa, second wife of William Templeton;
George W. who died in infanc}-; Samantha, wife of
Perry Green, and Eveline S. who died at the age of
two years.

R. JOEL ELISHA KING, deceased, was born
in Sandersfield, Berkshire County, Mass..
November 26, 1813, and was of Irish de-
scent. His grandfather. Dr. Robert King, was born
near C()rk, Ireland, in 1710, and about 1767, wed-
ded a Miss Morgan. They are supposed to have
married in the old country, but soon afterward
came to America, settling in Blanford, Berkshire
County, Mass. The sixth child in their family of
eleven children was born on the 9th of May, 1777,
in Blanford, Mass., and to him was given the name
of Robert. In 1808 he was com missioned Lieutenant
of a company in the First Brigade, Ninth Division
of the Massachusetts Militia, and in 1812 pro-
moted to be Captain of the same. A man of marked
ability, he gave his attention to the study of medi-
cine and surgery, and soon took prominence among
the physicians and surgeons of that place. In his
earlier years he became addicted to the use of
strong drink, but becoming convinced of its hurt-
fulness, he abandoned the use of all liquors, and be-,
came a strong advocate of the cause of temperance.
In 1 826, he removed to Portage County, Ohio, pur-
chased a farm of two hundred acres near Charles-
ton Center, and laying aside the arduous duties of
a practitioner spent the remainder of his life in re-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

311

tirement in the borne which he there made. He
was twiec mai'ried, but by the Latter union liad no
children. His first wife was Miss Bridget Morgan,
and a family of twelve children was born unto
them.

The personal history of our subject, Dr. J. E.
King, is as follows: In the common schools of Ohio,
he acquired his education, and at tlie age of fifteen
began the study of medicine. After reaching' man-
hood, he bought a piece of land in Charleston,
Ohio, and with his own hands cleared away the tim-
ber, developing from the hitherto uncultivated
tract a rich and fertile farm. In Norton, .Summit
County, Ohio, on the 3d of April, 1835, he was
united in marriage with Miss Emeline Barnes, who
was born December 24, 1813, in Tolland, Hamden
County, Mass. Her father, Phineas Barnes, who
was born in Massachusetts, October 7, 1770, and
her mother, whose maiden name was Abigail .Smith,
was l)orn in the Bay .State, June 10, 1780. In 1814,
they removed to Ohio, locating in .Summit County,
where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr.
Barnes was a well-to-do farmer, and himself and
wife were devoted workers in the ftlethodist Church.
Their family numbered nine sons and three daugh-
ters, but only four are now living: Dennison, who
is living in Bloomington, 111., at the age of eighty-
nine years ; John, a resi<lent of Michigan ; Corintha,
wife of Merritt Hoskins, of Michigan; and Mrs.
King; Salmon, when a young man, went south and
joined the regular army, and after serving about a
year, died at Ft. Gibson. Phineas Barnes, the father
of this family, died March 1, 1857, at the age of
eighty-seven years, and the death of his wife oc-
curred on the 6th of May, 1849.

Dr. King continued his farming operations in
Ohio, until 1838, when he sold out and removed to
Salem, Marion County, 111., where he engaged in
the practice of medicine until, believing his ser-
vices were more needed in the work of the minis-
try, lie sold out and began preaching. He had
been converted at the age of seventeen years, and
from that lime was a constant Bible student. Having
engaged in pastoral work for about two years, he
again resumed the practice of medicine, making his
home on a farm near Clinton, until 1853, when he
removed to that town and eng.aged in mercantile

pursuits, but the financial panic of 1857, came on
and svith many hundreds of others he was engulfed
in ruin.

During the first year of the Civil War, Dr. King,
with an earnest desire to aid his country, enlisted
in Company E, Twentieth Illinois Infantry, and
I was detailed in the hospital of the regiment. In
18(!2, he was taken sick, but not able to get full re-
lief he vvas placed in charge of the smallpox hospi-
tal in Louisville, Ky. He did not rally from the
effects of his own illness, however, and in October,
1862 received bis discharge. When he entered the
service, his weight was one hundred and fifty
pounds, but on his return home he weighed only
eighty-nine pounds. During his absence a homoe-
pathic physician. Dr. Hummel, had located in Clin-
ton. Failing to find relief in any of the various
remedies which he had tried. Dr. King was pur-
suadod by his wife to try bomffipathic treatment,
antl finally to study the same with Dr. Hummel.
He himself was so much benefited, that he became
impressed with the <iesire to know more of the sys-
tem, and from that time forward practiced it alto-
getlier. In March, 1865, he removed with his
famil3^ to Fairfield, where he continued the prac-
tice of medicine until his death. He was a success-
ful doctor, and had an extensive inactice over a
large range of territory'. His ability was the secret
of his popularity, and the liberal patron.age which
he received was well deserved. In his political
sentiments, the Doctor was a Republican, and in
his social connections was a Mason. He was also
a strong advocate of the cause of temperance, and
was a liberal supporter of all worthy enterprises.
Charitable and benevolent,his generosity was every-
where known, and the poor and needy found in him
a valued friend.

To Dr. and Mrs. King were born eight children,
but two daughters died in childhood. The iivino-
are: Sylvester M., a physician of Albia, Iowa, who
enlisted in Company E, Twentieth Illinois Infan-
try, on the 19th of April, 1861, participated in the
battles of Frederickstown, Mo., Ft. Donelson and
Shiloh, where he was severely wounded, after which
he was discharged in October, 1862, but in Au-
gust, 1864, he re-enlisted as a member of Company
I, Sixth Ohio Cavalry, .and serve.l until the close

312

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

of tlie war. Edward H., the second of the faniilv.
like his brother, is a graduate of Hahnemann Col-
lege, of Chicago, and is now engaged in the prac-
tice of medicine in Denver, Col. He served three
years in Company B, One Hundred and Seventh
Illinois Infantry, and was in nearly all the battles
of the regiment; Ellen is tiie wife of Thomas L.
Hoffman, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work;
Joel B. is extensively engaged in business in El-
bert, Colo.; Alice is the wife of Dr. Joseph S. Low-
ell, of Clinton, Iowa; P^mma, the youngest of the
family, is the wife of William S. Mitchell, a drug-
gist of Bloomfield.

On the 1st of June, 18'J0, Dr. J. E. King passed
from among the living. In his death the church,
societ>', and his family, suffered an irreparable loss.
Few men have more endeared themselves to the
hearts of the people of the community than he.
His wife is still living in Fairfield, and is an active
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

►->'^t^:i?U^:5<^

|EV. FREDERICK FINNEY LYON, who

is familiarly known as "Uncle Fred," has an
^\ % acquaintance throughout the county which
^) embraces almost every man, woman and
child within its borders. Not to know him argues
oneself unknown. He wa.s born in Otsego County,
N. Y., on the Gth of August, 1816, and is a son of
Abel and Nancy (P'inney) Lyon, both of whom
were natives of Connecticut. In an early day they
removed to the Empire State, and located in what
was afterward Otsego (,'ounty. In 1829 they be-
came residents of Wayne County, and in 1836 they
removed to Cattaraugus County, where their last
days were spent. The father died in his eighty-
ninth year, and the mother also reached an ad-
vanced age. Theirs was a Christian home and in
accordance with the teachings of the Methodist
Church, of which they were consistent members,
they reared their family of children, consisting of
si.x sons and six daughters, and two of the sons
became ministers — Moses, now deceased, who for

some sixty years was engaged in preaching the
Gospel; and Frederick F. The father took a most
important part in church work, his home was the
place of entertainment for the Methodist ministers,
and his tent was always found upon the camp meet-
ing grounds. No church duty was ever neglected
by him, and liis religion imbuefl his whole life,
making him a kind, benevolent and charitable man,
ever ready to aid the oppressed, to lift up the fallen
and give to the poor and need}'.

The subject of this sketch was the sixth child in
the family. His father operated an extensive farm,
was a hard worker himself, and taught his sons the
same valuable lesson of thrift and industry. Thus
reared in a Christian home and trained to habits of
labor and enterprise. Mr. Lyon laid a foundation
upon which a noble character has been reared.
When a lad of thirteen jears his parents removed
from Otsego to Wayne C'ounty, N. Y., but while
they were making preparations for providing a
comfortable home, young Frederick was left with
an uncle, and while there had a narrow escape from
being burned to death. One night he was sleeping
on some shavings in a sawmill when the building
caught Are, and he was not awakened from his
slumbers until a cousin had rushed through the
flames which filled the room, gathered him up, bed
and all, and carried him awaj' from the burning
building, thus saving his life. He received fair
educational advantages in his youth, and at the age
of nineteen }ears began teaching school, which oc-
cupation he followed through two winters in his
native State. He then helped to prepare a raft
and started down the Allegheny River, working
his way on the raft to Louisville, Ky. The men
were there forced to accept half pay for their work.
The man who had employed them sold the raft and
left, but they forced the new owner to give them
one-half of the monej' due them. IMr. Lj'on con-
tinued his journey by river to Ft. Madison, Iowa,
but after a short time spent at that place went to
West Point, where he was engaged as clerk for a
time and afterward worked in a mill.

On the 5th of June, 1837, Mr. Ljon arrived in
what is now Jefferson County, and with its growth
and progress he has ever since been prominently
identified. Riding to the place where he judged

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

313

the county seat would be, he staked a clain*, but
found that Henry B. Notson liad located the same
claim about a week previous. As he had no money
with which to purchase land he diil not then secure
a farm, but turned his attention to school-teaching,
which he continued for nineteen terms with the
most gratifying success, his labors being always
highly commended by his employers. The first
land for .vhich he held a deed was located in Keo-
kuk County, and continued to be his home for some
nineteen \ears, when, in 1870, he removed to his
present place of residence on section 17, Black
Hawk Township, Jefferson County. He now de-
votes his attention to the care and cultivation of
his farm, and is ranked among the substantial citi-
zens of the community.

On the 8th of November, 1858, Mr. Lyon and
Miss Rachel F. Harris were joined in marriage.
Mrs. Lyon is a native of Kentucky, was born July
15, 1828, and is a daughter of .Samuel M. and Mar-
garet (McVay) Harris, the former a native of \ir-
ginia and the latter of Tennessee, where their
marri,age was celelirated. For some time they made
their home in Kentucky, and in 182.5 took up their
residence in Macoupin County, III., whence they
came to Jefferson County in the month of June,
1836. Mr. Harris was a farmer by occupation, and
both he and his wife were members of the Metho-
dist Church. They were parents of twelve chil-
dren, seven sons and five daughters, and one of the
number, Samuel T., became a minister of the Bap-
tist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Harris lived to a ripe
old age, but both are now deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. Lyon, in their declining j'ears, are
surrounded b}' the comforts and luxuries which go
to make life worth the living, but their lot was not
always such. They began their domestic life in a
ent, where a quilt served as a door, and thus lived
until a cabin could be built. In the long nights the
howl of the wolf could be heard, and the Indian
was frequently a visitor at theii home, but these
were not the only disadvantages to be borne. H
was no easy task to develop from the wild land a
farm which could supi)ly all their wants; means of
travel were very inferior, and it was a difficult
task to go to market or mill, but as the years rolled
along prosperity came to them as the reward of

their honest efforts, and they now have an abun-
dance of this world's goods. These worthy people
were the first couple legally married in tjie county.
A marriage had before taken place, but was not
considered legal.

Thirteen children were born to Air. and Mrs.
L3'on, the eldest of whom is Nancy A.; Margaret,
the second daughter, is the wife of Noah Embree;
Samuel T. is engaged in f.irming in Nebraska, and
William A. follows the same occupation in Oregon;
Rachel J., deceased, was the wife of Jehu Embree;
Clarissa is the wife of William McClintock; Fred-
erick L. is a farmer; Mary E. was followed by John
S., now a farmer of Nebraska; D. N. is engaged in
the same pursuit and dealing in stock in Black
Hawk Township; .Susan I. is the wife of Alex W.
McClintock; and Nathaniel B. and Ulysses W.
complete the famil3'.

Mr. L\on was converted under the preaching of
Henry Summers in the neighborhood where Prairie
Chapel now stands, when about twenty-four years
of age, and about six months later was licensed to
preach. He has conlinued his labors as a local
minister throughout the ensuing }'ears, with the
exception of eight 3'ears. One 3'ear he spent as
Methodist minister on a circuit, and seven years as
a circuit preacher in the Cnited Brethren denomi-
nation. His voice has been heard in proclaiming
the Gospel all over this part of the countrj'. Often
times, after a day spent in the school room, he
would mount his horse, fill some apiiointment to
preach, and then ride home probably ten or twelve
miles and perform the evening labors of the farm.
After preaching for a time in the Methodist Church
he became connected vvith the United Brethren, and
was ordained as Elder in 1861, but after eight years
he returned to his earlier faith, and has since been
one of the most faithful and consistent members of
his home church. His work cannot be estimated
by any common standard of measurement, for we
cannot tell upon whoTn our words are taking effect,
or what will be the result of impressions formed,
but it is known that his Christian influence has been
a power for good in the community, and that his
life work has made others better, so that when his
time comes to die it can be said of him that it was
well that he lived. ■ He possesses considerable

314

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

poetic talent, and his poems breathe a fervent piety
in every line. Many have been printed, and bis
friends would gladly see the rest in print, for in
many are expressed gems of thought. He has
written upon the following subjects, which, as will
be seen, contain deep thought, but should be read
to be appreciated: Fall and Recovery, Preaching of
the Apostles, Tongue of Fire and Heart of Flame,
Apostacy, Reformations under Lutberand Wesley,
Millenium, Faith of Abraham, David and Otlier
Old Testament Worthies, and the General .Judg-
ment, which is terribly sublime in its word paint-
ing.

I'ntil the war Mr. Lyon supported the Democratic
party, and tlien became a Republican, but dur-
ing tlie last few years lias been a Greenback and
Labor Union man, believing that the interests of
the laboring classes are best cared for by that party.
He was appointed the first Sheriff of Jefferson
County, by the Governor, on the organization of
of the county and held the ofHce two years. He
has been Chaplain of the Old Settlers Societ3' five
years and takes great interest in its meetings. lie
has been a resident of this community for fifty-
three years, and little is known concerning the early
history of the county with which Mr. Lyon is not
familiar. His reminiscences of the pioneer days are
both valuable and interesting, and we greatly re-
gret that space forbids us giving a more extended
account of the same. He well deserves a repre-
sentation in the history of his adopted county, for
he is known tlu'oughout the neighborliood as a
worthy i itizen and honored pioneer.

AMUEL FASNACIIT, one of the pioneers
of Van Buren County and a respected citi-
zen of Keosauqua, was born in Lebanon,
Lebanon County, Pa., on the 26th of Au-
gust, 1818, and as the name indicates, the family is
of German descent. The grandfather of onr sub-
ject, Frederick Fasnacht, was the American pro-
genitor, and Ills son Conrad became the father of

Samuel. He was married in Lebanon County. Pa.,
to Miss Jtosanna Stoever, by whom he had four
children — Joseph, William, Charles and Catherine
— all of whom died in infancy. After the death of
the motlier, Mr. Fasnacht wedded Mrs. Catherine
(Doebler) Hoak widow of George Hoak, and six
children blessed this union, to whom were given
the names of Sanuiel, Edward, Andrew, Henry,
Savilia and Rosa.

The early life of our subject passed uneventfully.
His education was acquired in the subscription
schools common at that day, and when a young
man he learned the trade of a butcher, whicli he fol-
lowed for some years. In 183G be emigrated to
Springfield, Ohio, where he married Miss Rebecca
Schreckengast, who was born in Lebanon County,
Pa., in April, 1818. In the fall succeeding their
marriage Mr. Fasnacht and his 3'oung wife removed
t(^ Mt. Carmel, Wabash County, 111., where he was
engaged in the butchering business for some tbree
years. The Southwest then attracted his attention
and he made a location in Little Rock, Ark., where
he also carried on a meat market. Not finding
ever}thing as favorable as he had hoped, in the
spring of 1842 he removed to Memphis, Tenn.,
where he remained until the spring of 1845, which
year witnessed his arrival in Van Buren County.
However, he had previously visited Stephenson
County, where he had a brother living. Taking
up his residence in Keosauqua, Mr. Fasnacht en-
gaged in the butchering business until 1850, when
attracted by the discovery of gold in California, he
made a trip to the Pacific Slope, reaching Sacra-
mento after one hundred and two days of travel.
During his sojourn in the Far AVest he was located
at Placerville, then known as Hangtown, where he
also owned and operated a meat market, furnishing
meat to the miners of that locality. In the spring
of 1 851 he returned home by the way of the Panama
route, and while on the water, the vessel encoun-
tered a frightful storm which conlinued through
three days. Landing at New Orleans, Mr. Fasnacht
there boarded a river steamer and proceeded up the
Mississippi to his home. Again during a gold ex-
citement he started for the region of wealth, but
this time, after having fitted out a team for Pike's
Peak, found that the stories were mostly inventions

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

315

of some gifted brain and did not start upon the
journey. However, he has traveled extensively
over tliis fountry, from Pennsylvania to the Pacific
Coast and from Iowa to the mouth of the Missis-
sippi. Sucli journeys add a charm to the conversa-
tion, and thereby" u knowledge of men and their
manners is acquired which often proves of great
benefit to the possessor of the same.

Mr. and Mrs. Fasnacht are the parents of four
sons — William E., who is living in Florida; Lewis
C, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work;
George W.. now a resident of Montana; and Frank
B., !i printer located in Wicliita, Kan. In politics
Mr. Fasnacht is a stanch supporter of Democratic
princii)les, and has been honored witli several local
ofiices of trust, the duties of which he has ever dis-
charged in a commendable manner. The family is
one of high repute, and it is with pleasure we re-
cord this brief sketch of their lives in the history
of their adopted county.

\fl EWIS C. FOSNOT ranks among the le.ad-
I /?§) ing and successful business men of Keosau-
jiL^ qua, his business being that of photography.
This gentleman who is so widely- known throughout
Van P)uren County, claims the honor of which few
of his years can boast, that of being a native of
the city where he still makes his home. His par-
ents, Samuel and Catherine Fasnacht, whose sketch
appears elsewhere in this work, are numbered among
the early settlers of the community. They have
retained the old country orthographj' but their son
has adopted the English mode of spelling the
name.

In the common schools of his native town, Lewis
Fosnot acquired a liberal English education and was
fitted for his life work. Looking about him forsome
trade or profession which would prove a pleasant
as well as a profitable business, he chose that of
photography and having become familiar with tlie
art in all its details he embarked in Imsiness for
himself in 1872, continuing in the same line for

eigliteen consecutive years. As in his lessons in
the school room, he makes a thorough study of his
business, familiarizing himself with the latest
metliods and improvements and his work will com-
pare favorably with that of many an artist in the
larger cities. His studio is a popular one and the
liberal patronage which he receives indicates that
he has found favor with the public.

In 1870, in Keosauqua, Mr. Fosnot led to the
marriage altar JNIiss Elizabeth Hunter, daughter of
Robert Hunter. The lady was born in West Vir-
ginia, in 1848, and in the community where she
now makes her home is held in high esteem by a
large circle of friends and acquaintances. The
union of Mr. and Mrs. Fosnot has been blessed
with a family of five children, one son and four
daughters, namely.- Carrie, Minnie, Katie. Samuel
and Mary. Having passed his eAtire life in Keo-
sauqua, Mr. Fosnot has been a witness of the many
great changes which have taken place in Xnn Buren
County during the past forty years. His memory
goes back to the days when not a railroad crossed
its borders, when much of the land was still in its
primitive condition, and when the little log school-
house and primitive cabin marked the site of many
a good institution of learning or palatial home of
to-day. He has seen towns and villages spring up.
has witnessed the introduction of the telegraph an<l
telephone, together with the establishing of many
industries and enterprises and feels a just pride in
Van Buren County, his only home.

"^h

R. CALVIN SNOOK, a practicing physi-
cian of Fairfield, was born in Fairfield
Township, Jefferson County, on the 14th
of March, 1848, and is a son of John and
Mary (Fowler) Snook. His boyhood days passed
uneventfully upon the farm, but not wishing to en-
gage in agricultural pursuits he began fitting him-
self for the medical profession. He completed his
literary education in the city schools of Fairfiehl,
after which he entered the college of Physicians

316

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

and Surgeons.of Keokuk, Iowa, and Imving mastered
the regular course of study was graduated from
that institution in the class of 1869. One week
later he had established himself in practice ill
Moulton, Aijpanoose County, Iowa, where he re-
mained until the fall of 1870, when he removed to
Peru, Kan., continuing practice in that place until
the spring of 1872. He then returned to Iowa,
and locating in Perlee, Jefferson County, announced
to the public that he was ready to receive patronage
from any in need of services in his line. He there
built up a good practice and continued business in
that place until January, 1870, when he came to
Fairfield, where he has since resided. Almost from
the first he vvon recognition as an able physician
am) took rank among the leading practitioners of
this section.

The marriage of Dr. Snook and Miss Ella A.
Anderson was celebrated on the 16th of January,
1861), in Keokuk, Iowa. 'I he lady is a native
of Keilhsburg, 111., and a daughter of Dr. I. M.
Anderson. By their union have been born three
children, one son and two daughters: Mary B.,
John Newton and Esther. Mrs. .Snook is a member
of the Presbyterian Church.

The Doctor is a Democrat in his political views
and has held a number of local olfices. For two
years he held the office of Councilman, for one year
served as a member of the School Board, and in
the spring of 1890 was elected to the same position
for a term of three years. For eigiit years he held
the office of City Health Commissioner and for
four 3'ears, under Cleveland's administration, was
pensioner examiner. He is connected with a num-
ber of medical societies, including the Jefferson
County Medical Society-, the Des Moines Valley'
Medical Society, and the Iowa State Medical So-
ciety. In connection with his professional labors.
Dr. Snook is engaged to some extent in stock-rais-
ing and farming with his brothers, one of whom
carries on that business in Cedar Township, Jeffer-
son County, while the other is engaged in the same
line in Nebraska. They were reared to work to-
gether in harmonj^ and since attaining to mature
years have always done more or less business to-
gether with great satisfaction. The Doctor has
been quite successful in the practice of his profes-

sion and is well deserving of the liberal patronage
accorded him. He is studious and keeps himself
well posted on all the discoveries and theories con-
nected with the science and is the acknowledged
peer of any of his professional brethren in the
county.

THOMAS BELL has been longer engaged in
/(^\. ^''^ grocery business than any other mer-
chant in Jefferson County, his operations
in that line in Fairfield covering a period of twenty-
five consecutive years. A prominent business
man and leading citizen, he is well worthy a rep-
resentation in this volume, and we feel assured
that his sketch will be received with interest by
many of our readers. Pennsylvania is the State uf
his nativity. He was born in the City of Brotherly
Love, on the 5th of April, 1839, his parents being
Thomas and Rachel (Grames) Bell. His jjaternal
grandfather, who was reared in Scotland, imbibed
the love Of freedom .ind religious liberty chamcter-
istic of the people of that couiitiy, as will be seen
later on. Having married in his native land, he
emigrated to County Donegal, Ireland, locating in
RathmeltoM. He was a devout Presbyterian, and
a leader among the Orangemen. So intense w.as
the hatred of the Catholics toward him that on
one occasion, while crossing a bridge, he was met
by a number of the Romanists and thrown over.
He was unconscious on reaching the ground, and
the Catholics, thinking they had killed him, piled
stone upon him and thus left him buried. Some
time afterward, [jartics passing by heard groans,
and throwing off the stones liberated Mr. Bell. It
is needless to say this barbarity neither inspired in
him nor his descendants a love for Catholicism.

Thomas Bell, Sr., was born on the way to the
F-merald Isle, and at the age of nineteen years
sailed for the United States, locating in Philadel-
phia, Pa., where he worked at the shoemaker's
trade, which he had learned in the old country.
In that city he married Miss Grames, who was a
native of Pennsylvania, although her ancestors

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

317

came from Scotland. After livins; in Philadelphia
for some time, Mr. Bell removed to AUeghcnj'
Cit^-, where he kept a shoe store. Later be car-
ried on business in Pittsburg and other towns in
the Keystone State, but subsequently, following
the course of human emigration,, which was steadily
flowing westward, reached Harrison County, Ohio,
and in 18.'7 we find iiim in Louisa County, and
tliree j'ears later in Des Moines Count}', Iowa.
After his arrival in this State he devoted his time
between farming and work at his trade until the
organization of the Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, when
he joined that regiment and served until its dis-
charge, holding the office of Sergeant. When the
war was over he removed to Corning, Iowa, where
he engaged in the shoe business and also dealt in
furniture for some yea,rs. He is now living a re-
tired life, being some seventy-two years of age.
In AUeghenj' City his wife and only daughter died
at the same time, in 18o3, leaving a family con-
sisting of five sons. Mr. Bell was afterward again
married, and by his second wife, whose maiden
npme was Eliza Flynn, had six children.

The subject of this sketch was the eldest child of
the first marriage. When a lad of twelve years he
began learning the shoemaker's trade, and with the
exception of a short time spent in school, re-
mained at the Ijeuch until he had attained his
majority. His primary education was supple-
mented by two terms attendance at an acaderaj',
he thus securing a good practical education. When
the war broke out he and a friend proposed to raise
a comi)any and go into the service. He secured
the number he was to raise but his friend was not
as successful, and at length, tired of waiting, Mr.
Bell, together with eight other companions, went
to Davenport, and on the 2.5th of August, 1861,
enlisted in Company K, of the Second Iowa Cav-
alry. His war record is one of which he may
justly be proud.

Besides participating in sixty-two skirmishes,
Mr. Bell took part in the following regular battles:
New Madrid, Mo., Farmiugton, the two battles of
Corinth and luka. Miss., CoUiersville and Moscow,
Tenn., W^est Point and Okolona, Miss. His time
liaving expired, he veteranized on the 1st of March,
1864, and after a short furlough returned to the

dreadful work of war, and participated in the bnt-
tles of Tupelo, Old Town Creek, Hurricane Creek,
Shoal Creek, Butler Creek, Franklin and Nashville,
Tenn. On the 17th of December, 1864, the Sec-
ond Iowa Cavalry engaged in a hand to hand con-
test with the Confederates a few miles south of
Franklin. Bayonets, swords, musket? and pistols
were used indiscriminatelj'. The following is sub-
stantially given in Sergt. L. B. Pierce's history of
the Second Iowa Cavalry: 'The principal event of
this struggle, the fiercest in which the regiment
ever engaged, was the capture of the colors of
Ross' (rebel) brigade. As the contending forces
came together, Thomas Bell ordered the rebel color
bearer to surrender. He refused; a rush was made
upon him. Just as Dominic Black was in the act
of striking down the color bearer with his saber,
he was shot through the heart by one of the color
guards. Sergt. Coultei seized the flag, wrenching
it from the rebel's hands, and though at that in-
stant he received a bullet through his shoulder, he
handed the flag to Thomas Bell, who took it and
led Coulter off the field, carrying the flag with him
to the Union lines. When they were returning,
they were met by their reinforcements, who on see-
ing the rebel flag, and thinking it was in the hands
of a rebel officer fired upon Mr. Bell, and his es-
cape from death was almost miraculous. Private
Wall was confronted by a rebel, who placed the
muzzle of his gun against the former's side. Wall
dropped his own gun, seized that of his antagonist,
•and thrust it aside. Thomas Bell rushed to Wall's
relief, aiming an enipt}- carbine at the rebel; seeing
Bell, the rebel dropped the gun, jerked the pistol
from bis belt and fired at the former's head, how-
ever without effect. Boll discovered another pis-
tol in the rebel's belt, and urging his horse beside
him made a successful grab for the weapon, with
which he killed his antagonist. Wall, who had the
rebel's gun, killed with it another of the enen)y
who had assaulted Bell. Thus for some time they
fought like tigers; blood flowed like water; men
fell on every hand, but the flag remained in the
possession of the boys in blue."

Our subject was mustered out at Selma, Ala.,
having been saddler of his company for some time.
After over four years of service, in wliieh he par-

318

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

licipated in sevent3^-eiglit engagements, Mr. Bell
returned unscathed, conscious of having done his
part in maintaining the Government's honor and
establishing universal libert3'. He has two relics
of the war which he prizes very highly — the pistol
above referred to and a leave of absence. In 1864
every man in the field was needed, and orders were
given that no soldier should be allowed a furlouyh.
Mr. Bell received word that his wife lay at the
point of death. He despaired of getting a release,
but his Lieutenant wrote a letter citing the reason
for his wishing a furlough, recounting Mr. Bell's
valor in capturing the rebel flag, and recommend-
ing that he be permitted to go home. This mes-
sage passed through the hands of the several
authorities, each lime receiving the proper official
endorsements, and he was granted the much prized
furlough.

In 1865 Mr. Bell engaged in the grocery busi-
ness in Fairfield, which without interruption he has
carried on since. He has had a partner for four
years of that time, W. B. Rowland having been
associated with him two j'ears, and J. A. Beck an
equal length of time.

On the 2d of May, 1861, in Des Moines Count}-,
Mr. Bell was united in marriage with jNIiss Leonora
McCray, who was born in Indiana, but came with
her parents to Iowa in an early day. Thej' are
parents of five children, four of whom are living:
Frank A., Edwin B., Thomas H. and Florence.
I'he eldest, Alonzo A., died at the age of five years.
Both Mr. Bell and his wife are members of the
Methodist Church, and take an active part in Sun-
da3--school work. For a number of j'ears he has
been Chairman of the county Sunday-school or-
ganization, and has been instrumental in establish-
ing many schools throughout the count}^ He is a
member of the Grand Army Post, of Fairfield, of
which he has been Commander. Twice he has
licen honored by being sent as delegate to the Na-
tional Encampment. He is and has been for the
past three years. President of the Old Soldiers and
Sailors Association of Fairfield. Mr. Bell is not
only a temperance man in practice, but is also a
fearless, outspoken advocate of prohibition.

Politically, Mr. Bell took a stand with the Abol-
tionists, in fact, was one among the first to volun

teer in their ranks; since he has been a Republican
of the most enthusiastic and pronounced tj-pe. In
the army, the boys longing for home and the close
of the struggle, would call upon him to make a
speech in regard to the issues of the war. He
would tell them that the war could never close
until every man under the flag should be free.
While they enjoyed this talk they hooted at his
ideas. How well he divined results, history shows.
Mr. Bell has made business a success owing to in-
dustrj', enterprise and good management. As a
result he has secured to himself a handsome com-
petence, from which he makes liberal cont'ibutions
to church and Sunday-school work, and other wor-
thy interests. He believes that a man's zeal for a
cause is truly shown by what he is willing to invest
in it.

-Jg^J-

f4^ ENRY BASCOM EDMONSON, who is en-
k^ gaged in farming and stock-raising on sec-
tion 29, Washington Township, Van Buren
p) County, is a native of Kentucky, the young-
est of eight children, whose parents wore Alfred O.
and Kitty (Burton) Edmonson. The family was
founded in America during Colonial days, in all
probability, yet little is known concerning its early
history. A. O. Edmonson was born in Maiyland, in
1803,and grew to manhood in his native State, learn-
ing the tailor's trade in his youth. When a young
man he left his old home and became a resident of
Kentucky where he formed the acquaintance of
Miss Burton who was born in that State in 1808.
As the fruits of their marriage eight children were
born but only four of the number are now living:
Anna E.. wife of J. F. Freeman, who resides near
Sacramento, Cal.; Catherine E., deceased; William
who was drowned in the Des Moines River, break-
ing through the ice December 3, 1867; Harriet,
wife of G. W.Paul of Idaho; Susan C. and Mary
H. both deceased; Irene S., wife of W. Campbell of
California; Henry B. of this sketch, and George
A. who died in childhood, and an infant deceased.
The two youngest were born iu this county and all

PORTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

319

the decensed were here buried. The father accom-
panied by ills family came to Van Biiren County
in the spring of 1813, and the following year set-
tled upon the farm where our subject now resides.
He (■ >ntiniied to engage in agricultural pursuits un-
til his death, which occurred in April, 1865. His
wife, who survived him about five years, died in
August, 1870. Both were members of the Metho-
dist p4jiscopal Church.

The subject of this sketch w.as born in Scott
County, Ky., November 2G, 1842, and was reared
to manhood upon his father's farm in his native
county, but at the age of twenty years he left home
to enlist in the service of his country, becoming a
member of Company I, Nineteenth Iowa Infantry,
commanded by Capt. S. E. Payne, on the 6th of
August, 1862. He was mustered into service at
Keokuk and assigned to the Thirteenth Army Corps,
after which he proceeded with his regiment to the
frontier in Arkansas, where he reuiained about six
months. Making his way southward he then par-
ticipated in the seige and ca[)ture of Vioksburg,
after which the regiment marched to New Orleans.
He took part in all the engagements in which his
regiment (jarticipated, including the hard fought
battles of Prairie Oiove.siege of Vicksburg, Yazoo
City, the battle of Sterling Farm and the siege and
capture of Spanish Fort. At Prairie Grove he was
wounded in both hips by musket balls and thus dis-
abled for service for about three months. Although
he has never fully recovered from the effects of the
wounds, on partially regaining his health and
strength he at once joined his command. At the
battle of Sterling Farm almost the entire regiment
was captured, only twenty escaping, among whom
was Jlr. Edmonson. After three years of faithful
service in which he was ever found at his post of
duty ably defending the old tlag, he received his
discharge in Mobile, Ala.. .July 10, 1865.

When the war was over, Mr. Edmonson returned
to his home and resumed farming on his father's
farm. Laier he purchased the interest of the other
heirs in the old homestead and is now the owner of
three hundred an<l twenty acres of well cultivated
land upon which are many tine improvements in-
cluding a commodious and tasty residence, sub-
stantial outbuildings, etc. Fences diride the land

into fields of convenient size and as the result of
the industry and enterprise which are i)rominent
characteristics of the owner, he is now one of the
substantial citizens of the community. In addition
to the cultivation of the land he also gives con-
siderable attention to stock-raising, making ^ a
specialty of thoroughbred merino sheep from
which he shears eleven and twelve pounds to the
fleece. He also keeps on hand thoroughbred Berk-
shire hogs and his other farm stock is in keeping
with that already mentioned.

On January 7, 1868, Mr. Edmonson was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah L. Woods, daughter of
A. H. and Elizabeth (Bleek) Woods, of Van Buren
Count}'. They hold a high position in the social
world, ranking among the respected citizens of the
county. Jlr. Edmonson has taken considerable in-
terest in civic societies, now holding membership
with the Odd-Fellows, of Vernon and also belongs
to Shriver Post, No. 177, G. A., R. of Mt. Vernon.
He was also an active member of the Grange and
of a society for the prevention of theft, known as
the Anti Horse-Thief Society. In political senti-
ment he is a stalwart Republican and has frequently
served as delegate to the count\- convention, while
for six years he has held the ofiSce of Count}' Com-
missiondr, proving an able official. Churches,
schools and all laudable institutions receive his
hearty support and he may well be ranked among
the Tepresentalive men of Washington Township.

Ii^__, ON. ABNER HARRISON McCRARV,
'^ who is now living a retired life in Pleasant
Hill, Van Buren County, is numbered not
((®) only among the prominent citizens of this
community, but is widely known among the older
settlers of the State, he himself being one of the
early frontiersmen. His life is prominently con-
nected with its history, his aid has been given for
its advancement and progress, and in its legislative
halls he served as an honored member.

Mr. McCrary was born in Vanderburg County,

320

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Inri..on the 23d of February. 1814. In that early
period in the history of the Indiana Territory ilie
facilities for securinfj an education were very poor,
and as he had no means with which to attend the
colleges of the East, his advantages were necessa-
rily limited. His boyhood days were spent in a
manner similar to that of all lads in a like condi-
tion, and on attaining to matuie 3'ears he started
out ill life for himself. On the Cth of February,
1834, he was united in marriage with Miss Nercissa
Mangum, and tliey beaan their domestic life in
Gibson County, where Mr. MoCrary began clear-
ing and developing a farm lying along the banks
of Big Creek, but the situation was not a healthful
one, the fever and ague seemed fastening itself upon
them, and in the fall of 183j, in order to avoid its
ravages, they sold out and started for the West.
They first made a location in McDonougli County,
111., whore they s|)ent the winter in a schoolhouse,
as the immigration to that part of the country had
been so great in the previous few months that no
dwelling could be obtained. Mr. JNIcCrary at once
began the erection of a cabin on what was known
as liie military' tract, but before the new home was
(•(impleted, on the 4th of April, 1836. there was
born unto them in the little schoolhouse a son. Not
long afterward, however, they were installed in
their new home. Great dilliculty was experienced
by the settlers of that day in procuring their claims
and Mr. McCrary shared in the disadvantages which
fell to the lot of many. After having made con-
siderable improvement and occupied his new home
a year, the agent who had the land in charge visited
the settlement and |)ut such a high price upon tlie
jiroporty that our subject felt unable to pay the
sum. It certainly Wiis a most discouraging inci-
dent, and with little hope of better success he trav-
eled over portions of McDonough, Hancock, Adams
and Warren Counties, but everywhere met with the
same difflcultj'.

After some time spent in this manner, Mr. Mc-
Crary became satisfied that he could not find a home
in that locality, and concUided to cross the Father
of Waters to what was known as the Black Hawk
))urchase, and see if he could not meet with belter
success in that region. Accordingly, in the winter
of lb3G-37, accompanied by his brother, J. C. Mc-

Crary, and his wife's brother, A. W. Mangum, he
started for Iowa. There were at that time twelve
inches of snow upon the ground, but with tools,
bedding and ten days rations for man and beast,
thej' started out, their vehicle lieing a wagon box
placed on lunners. At Warsaw they crossed the
Mississippi River on the ice, and in the same man-
ner made their wa\' up the Des Moines River about
forty miles, until reaching what is now the center
of Xau Buren County. Driving inland for a few
miles they located on the south side of the river,
but here also experienced some difficulty which was
occasioned by land si)eeulators who traveled tlu-ough
the country, marking out the land into large tracts
which they would sell at their own price to stran-
gers who were desirous of locating in piece. This
pra'_-tice was carried on to such an extent that it
became necessary to adopt by-laws to regulate their
confli(^ting interests. By the new law one man
could not hold more than a quarter-section of land
unless he bought it. This proved but partially
successful, however, as the speculators would com-
bine and claim the best portions of the country,
trading between one another so as to evade the law.
Much advantage was taken in this manner of those
who wished to makes homes in the communit3-, but
Mr. McCrary and his comrades were not so easily
deterred from the object of their trip to Iowa.
They informed themselves in relation to the claim
law in order to know what they were required to
do, then located land and remained on the same
until they had erected cabins, when they returned
to Illinois.

In the spring of 1837, accompanied by his faith-
ful wife, Sir. McCrary started for the new home in
the wilds of the Black Hawk purchase, which was
then a part of the Territory of Wisconsin, arriving
at their destination on the 23d of April. A little
log cabin in the midst of a grove of timber, and fur-
nished with few of the comforts of life, was their
home. Their neighbors were far distant, and fre-
quently the red men would be among their visitors;
many privations and hardships were to be endured,
ditflculties and olistacles were to be overcome, and
the work which la3' before them of developing a
farm was no e.a.sy task, but though the path was a
rugged one, it led to a home and competence, and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

821

ever looking forward to the result to bo attained,
their hardships seemed the lighter. Thej' have [)ros-
pered since coming to Van Biuen County, and Mr.
McCrar}^ is numbered among the substantial citizens
of the conimunit}', yet success has not always been
attendant upon his footsteps. During the years of
1839, 1840 and 1841, a financial panic was upon
the country, the effect? of which were felt by many
of the early settlers. In fact some were unalile to
pay for their lands, and Mr. McCrary, with others,
determined to secure only eighty acres, and availed
himself of the pre-emption law to secure that
amount. However, by induslr}' and economy he
had saved sufficient to purchase another eighty
eighty acres, and his hope of procuring a home for
his family was at length realized. He continued
his farming operations for many years, and became
the owner of one of the finest country homes in
the county. His zeal and energy ])aved the way to
success, and as the result of his earnest efforts he se-
cured a propertj- which now places iiim in comfor-
table circumstances and enables him to live in retire-
ment from the bus}' cares of life. ,

Mr. McCrary has not labored alone for his own
interests, but has been a prominent man in public
places, and while serving in official capacities has
aided greatl}' in the advancement of the county's
interests. In the year 1841 he was elected Justice
of the Peace, a position which he held through suc-
cessive elections for eight years. In 1848 he re-
presented Van Buren County in the State Legisla-
ture, being the first to hold the office after the
adoption of the constitution. He was a member
of the General Assembly when the difficulties arose
in relation to the boundary' between Iowa and Mis-
souri.He was an opposer of the first constitution of
Iowa in consequence of its limitation of the western
boundar)' line of the .State, and voted for the con
stitution which is now in vogue. In 18,50 Mr. Mc-
Crary was again elected a member of the General
Assembly, and during that session the revised code
was adopted. So ably did he represent his con-
stituents in the Lower House that in 185 "2 he was
elected to the State Senate. During that term pro-
visions were made for removing the capital to Des
Moines, and making an appropriation of the old
State House in Iowa City for a .State I'niversity.

In 1860 he again served as State Senator, in the
term which embraced the period of the war, and
when the duties of the legislators were fraught
with deep interest and often times with peril. He
was chairman of the Senate committee to which was
referred the first bill in Iowa asking for a Sunday
law. On the same committee, and opposed to Mr.
McCrary as a Christian man, was a radical infidel,
who did all in his power to prevent the passage of
the bill, but tiirough the instrumentality of our
subject and other friends of the measure it became
a law.

In the fall of 18;5.S, when a young man of nine-
teen ye.nrs, jMr. McCrar}' made the good confession
and united with the Christian Church. Although a
busy man. his time well taken up by business and
political interests, he has ever found time to devote
to religious work. With the Bible as a guide, and
with its promises and precepts ever before him, his
course has been such as to win him the respect and
highest regard of all with whom he came in con-
tact. Not ashamed or afraid to express his views,
he has ever taken his stand on the side of right and
opposed the wrong. While a member of the Legis-
lature, in addition to his favoring a bill for the
Sunda}' law, he did much in that important position
for the cause of Christianity, and so pronounced
was he on the side of morality that he was never ap-
proached b}' those wiio were willing to m.ake of
politics a corrupt thing or a means of securing
money. About the year 1858 he was chosen one of
the Elders of the Christian Church, of Pleasant
Hill, and in that capacity faithfull}- served for many
years, having the approval of the congregation.
In his Christian life, as in his business life, he has
met with failures, yet he has profited b}' experience
and with pure motives pressed onward. Charitable
and benevolent, the poor find in him a friend, the
discouraged, a sj'mpathizer.

The following children were born of the union
of Mr. and Mrs. McCrary: William M.. born in
McDonough County, 111., April 4, 1836, is now
living in Council Bluffs; Marietta, born in Van
Buren County, October 24, 1838, is the wife of
J. W. Garvin, of Edgar, Clay County, Neb. ; James
N., l)orn April 17, 1841, is a resident of Chicago;
A. Jasper, l)orn March 20, 1844, is an attornej'-at-

322

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

law of Keokuk, Iowa; Lucinda C. born October 15,
184C, died December 22, 1848; Curtis K., born
April 1. 1849, is livino; in Van P.uren County; Ira
C, born January 4, 1852, is a salesman in the em-
ploy of Edwin Manning', at Douds Station.

In liie spring of 1876, Mr. McCrary purchased
properly in Pleasant Hill, and the following Octo-
ber removed with his wife to that town, where the_v
have since maile their home. This worthy couple,
who have traveled life's journey together for fifty-
four 3'rars, are widely and favorably known-
throughout the entire comnuinity, and it is with
(ileasure that we record their sketch in the histor\'
of their adopted count}', with the growth and pro-
gress of which they have been so closely and promi-
nently connected.

IL^ ON. GEORGE G. WRIGHT, an eminent
jurist and a pioneer lawyer of Iowa, a for-
mer citizen of ^'an Buren County, is a na-
5§)) tive of Indiana, having been born in the
town of Bloomington, Monroe County, on the
24th of Ma>ch, 182(1. His father, John Wright,
was a native of Pennsylvania, and was of Welsh
descent, the family dating its origin in America
back to the year 1721(, when the founder, an emi-
grant from Wales, settled in Pennsylvania. John
Wright -was a mason by trade, and in earl}' life
married Miss Rachel Seaman. His death occurred
in Bloomington, Ind., in 1825, when our subject
was but five years of age. Mrs. Wright survived
lior husband many years. She came to Iowa in
its Territorial days, and died in Keosauqua, in
1850.

George G. Wright was educated in the State
University of Indiana, being graduated in the class
of '39, wliile in his twentieth year, after which he
read law at Rockville, Ind., under the tutelage of
his brother, Joseph A. Wright, afterward Governor
of Indiana, and was admitted to the bar in the
Slate Courts of that State in 1840. In September
of that year he came to the Territory' of Iowa, and

in November established himself in practice in
Keosauqua, then one of the most promising towns
in the Territory. A thoiongh Whig in political
sentiment, the young lawyer at once took promi-
nence in his party, and w.as chosen Prosecuting
Attorney of his county; he was also elected to the
State Senate for the term of 1848 and 1850. In
the latter year he w,as the Whig candidate for
Congress in a district comprising tlie whole south-
ern half of Iowa, but the waning strength of the
party was not equal to the task of electing him,
although his vote exceeded that of the general
ticket. In January, 1855, and while ^yet under
thirty-five 3'ears of age, his ability and learning as
a lawyer and his personid popularity led to his
election as Chief Justice of Iowa, to which position
he was re-elected, holding the office for a period of
fifteen years, or until 1870, when he was elected
to the United States Senate. At the close of his
Senatorial term. Judge Wright declined a re-elec-
tion, preferring, as more congenial, the practice
of his profession to the more exciting arena of
poLitics.

"His time on the Supreme Bench covers the
most important i)eriod in the judicial history of
the State. The adoption of the Code system and
judicial construction of it is embraced in it. Judge
Wright's opinions will be found in all the Iowa
Reports from A'olume 1 to Volume 30, and the
lawyer, whether he be in Iowa, Maine, California
or elsewhere, will find in those volumes precedents
on general law that he may cite with confidence to
any court, assured that they will be accepted with
respect and will carry weight and authority with
them."

Ten 3'ears after his election to the Supreme
Bench, Judge Wright removed from Keosauqua to
Des Moines, which has since been his borne. In
the fall of that year he associated with himj^elf
Judge Chester C. Cole, of the same court, in the
organization of the Iowa Law School (the first
law school west of the Mississippi River). Judge
Wright had had a number of students in his office
during the two or three years preceding, and sev-
eral applications f(jr a like privilege suggested the
formation of a school, in which, during the first
year, twelve students pursued the study of law

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

323

under the tutelage of these two gentlemen, the}'
being the only instructors. At the opening of the
second year, Prof. William G. Hammond became
connected with the school, giving it a constant per-
sonal attention, which the judicial duties of the
other professors did not permit them to render;
and the three men carried the enterprise through
the two succeeding years with but slight increase in
the number of students. The merits of the school
attracted the attention of the bar throughout the
State, and in 1868 the Iowa Law Scliool, by the
action of the Regents, became a department of tlie
State Universit}^ and its instructors still remained
in charge as its professors, while the prior gradu-
ates were made Alumni of tlie University. Prof.
Hammond removed to Iowa City and was placed
at the head of the school, Judges Wright and Cole
continuing lo give a portion of their time to its
service.

During his labors on the bench, and while en-
gaged in building ui) a sound and safe fabric of
the unwritten law, Judge Wright found time to
give, by his energy and influence, an impetus to
rnanj' public enterprises and objects. Prior to the
organization of the Iowa Law School, he took a
prominent part in the organization of the State
Agricultural Societ}', of which he was President for
five years, from 1858 to 1863, thereby fostering
and encouraging improved method.s in all that
pertains to Iowa's peculiarly agricultural popula-
tion.

"An earnest patriot, while ph3-sical incapacity
prevented his entering the army, by word and
deed he sustained the arm of the Giovernment in
the struggle to save the Union, and many a
soldier drew inspiration from his earnest speech,
and many a soldier's family found in him a stead-
fast supporter in time of need. In the Senate, he at
once became Chairman and memlier of influential
committees, and hail he not, for reasons wholly
personal to himself, voluntarily declined re-elec-
tion, he would doubtless have become one of
Iowa's famous long-time Senators. Retiring from
the Senate, he took the head of the law firm of
Wright, Gateh <t Wright, and again entered the
practice with his early entluisiasra, and at once
was felt in the work of his profession. A desire

for rest and greater quiet induced him in time to
seek les? engrossing duties, and as the trusted head
of financial institutions of his city, he now devotes
such time as he desires to business. Retaining,
however, his early love for his profession, Judge
Wright continues to lecture to his old law school,
and for like reasons is actively associated with the
American Bar Association, of which he was Presi-
dent from June, 1887, to June, 1888. His wide
experience as a lawyer, legislator and judge, makes
his judgment in tliat body of recognized value, and
as such is constantly sougiit and observed. In
1882 he severed his conned ion with the law firm
of which he was the head, and accepted the Presi-
dency of the Polk County Savings Bank, which
was organized that j'ear, and which position he has
filled continuously since, covering a period of
seven years. During the same time he has been
President of the Security', Loan and Trust Company
of Des Moines, an important financial institution
of Polk County.

Judge Wright was married in Van Buren County,
Iowa, on the 19th of October, 1843, to Miss Han-
nah M. Dibble, daughter of Thomas and Ruth
(Gates) Dibble. Mrs. Wright was born in Saratoga
County. N. Y., near the celebrated springs of that
name, and came to Iowa with her parents in 1839.
Her family was of New England origin, and re-
moved from Connecticut to New York early in
the eighteenth century. Judge and Mrs. Wright
have six children living, four sons and two daugh-
ters: Thoiu.as S., the eldest, wedded Miss Mary
Tuttle, is an attorney by profession, and is the
present solicitor of the Rock Island Railroad for
Iowa and Illinois, and resides in Chicago; Craig L.
mairied Miss Kate Van Dyke, and is a practicing
attornej' of Sioux City, Iowa; Mary D., the eldest
daughter, is the wife of Frank H. Peave^', a grain
merchant of Minneapolis, Minn.; Carroll, who
married INIiss Nellie Elliott, was graduated from
the Iowa State University, and also from the Law
Department of Simpson College, and is a lawyer in
active i)ractice in Des Mcines; Lucia H. is the
wife of Edgar H. Stone, a banker of Sioux City;
George G. is single and a resident (<f Des Moines.

Judge Wright is and has been an earnest Repub-
lican since the formation of the parly. In his

824

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

religious views he adheres to the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, under the auspices of which he re-
ceived his early religious training. Mrs. Wriglit
is a memlier of the Unitarian Church Tlie Judge
is a nienilier of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and enjo3'S the distinguished honor of
being one of the three Iowa members from civil
life, of the Lo}'al Legion of tlie United Stales,
Almost half a century has passed since he made his
maiden speech in an Iowa Court. Then this now
])Opulous and wealthy State was a sparsely-settled
region, with but a portion of its territory open to
settlement l)y ihe whites. During that i)eriod his
name has been honorabl3' associated with the his-
tory of the bar of Territory and State, and for
lilteen years he has sprved with distinction in the
highest office in its Judiciary. The imprint of his
legal talent is stamped upon the records and re-
ports of the State in a manner that reflects credit
upon himself and the commonwealth, and will per-
l)etnate his memory for all time. Many of the
most successful and promising lawyers of the State
were his pupils or were benefited in their [jrofes-
sional education through his efforts in founding a
law school and his continued interest in the Law
Department of the State University. His election
to the United States Senate was an honor justly
deserved, and his honorable and npriglit service in
that distinguished body fully justified the choice
of his constituents.

While it is difficult to write of the living in
terms worthy of their merits, virtues and talents,
without incurring the risk of offending with an
appearance of flattery, it is nevertheless true that
in a work like this, that is intended to be a standard
work of reference for posterity, a true delineation
of character and a fair representation of the life-
work of the subject should be i>resented. We know
no reason why we should wait until a man is dead
to spe.ak the truth of him.

Judge Wright possesses all the characteristics of
a great lawyer. Studious by inclination, he is
well grounded in the law. His mind, alw.ays
active, grasps with force the subject of his
thoughts, and his opinions arc expressed in terms
at once clear, logical and comprehensive. In his
intercourse with men his manner is entirely free

from ostentation and self-consciousness, but is calm,
dignified and at the same time evincing an earnest
cordiality lliat wins him many friends. The purity
of his life and his fidelity to every trust have won
for him the unbounded confidence and respect of
his fellow -citizens, botli at home and abroad.

I'RKE HUFFMAN, deceased, was a pioneer
of Iowa of 183G, and although his death
occurred in 1857, he will be remembered
by many of the older settlers, by whom he
was held in high regard. He was born in Burke
County, N. C, in 1794, and was the son of Samuel
Huffman. When a young man he removed to In-
diana, and settling in New Alban_y, was there mar-
ried in 1822, to Miss Maiy Miller, a native of
Kentucky, and a daughter of Samuel and Mary
Jane Miller, who belonged to an early Kentucky
family. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Huffman in Indiana. In 1836 they determined to
cast their lot with the early settlers of the Terri-
tory of Iowa, and choosing Van Buren County as a
favorable location, settled in what is now Lick
Creek Township, where Mr. Huffman spent the re-
mainder of his life. Here the family circle was
increased by the birth of four children, making
nine in all.

The eldest, Barbara, is the widow of Moses Stan-
ley, and resides in Appanoose Count}-, Iowa; James
M. married Eliza Boville, and is living in Butte,
Mont.; Samuel, who served as a non-commissioned
officer in Compau}- F, of the Second Iowa Infantry,
died at the age of thirty-two 3ears; George mar-
ried Malvina Pollock, and is living in New Jeru-
salem, Cal.; Hiatt wedded ^itula R. Goodall, and
makes liis home in Birmingham, Iowa; Mary E. is
the wife of John Bishop, a resident farmer of
Liberty Township, Jefferson County; John W.
married Eudora Biele^ and is located in Idaho;
Frederick B. was joined in wedlock with Martha
Skinner, and is engaged in mercantile pursuits in

THE NEW YORK

'UBLIC LIBRA RyI

ASTOR, LENOX

J. S. GANTZ.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPIIJCAL ALBUM.

327

Faiifield; Robert J. H., who enlisted in Company
H, Fifth Iowa Infantry, died in Andei'sonville
Prison in 1 804.

Mr. Huffman, the father of this family', was a Dem-
ocrat in early life, but when tiie Re|)ul)iiean party
sprang into existence be espoused its i)rinciples and
voted for its first Presidential candidate, Fremont,
in 1856. He was a member of the Baptist Church,
and ills wife belonged to the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Both were worthy citizens and lived up-
right lives. The husband was called to his final
rest in Mjvy, 1857, and was survived but a short
time by his wife, who died in October, 1859.

■Jf) ACOB S. GANTZ, one of the leading livery-
men of Fairfield was born in Franklin
County, Ohio, within five miles of Colum-
bus, November 28, 1835, and is a son of
John and Mahala (McLish) (lantz. On the pater-
nal side the family is of German origin but his
father was born in Washington County. Pa. After
his marriage to Miss McLish, a native of Carroll
County, Ohio, they settled in the Keystone State
but a short time afterwards removed to Franklin
County. Ohio. By trade, he is a cooper, but has
made farming his chief occupation and in the pur-
suit of that branch of industry has been quite suc-
cessful. His residence in Jefferson County dates
from 1850, in which year he purchased a farm of
four hundred acres and located in Locust Grove
Township, where he continued the care and im-
provement of the land until 1880, when he came
to Fairfield. He is an honored citizen of Jefferson
County, whom all respect and esteem. For more
than twenty yeais he has served as Justice of the
Peace and by the prompt and faithful discharge of
every duty devolving upon him has won the con-
lidence and approval of all. In politics he sup-
ported the Democratic party until the nomination
of Fremont, when he voted for that candidate and
has since supported tlie Repu'dican party. He has
now reached tlie ripi- old age of eighty-three years

and his wife is in the seventy-eighth year of her
age. In their family were tour sons and two
daughters. It is a remarkable fact that all of the
sons and the husbands of the two sisters served in
the army during the late war. Martha J., the eld-
est, is the vvife of E. G. Deardurff who followed the
old llag three years; Andrew served the same
length of time and is now engaged in farming in
Fairfield Township; Jacob S., is the next younger;
William, a farmer of this county, enlisted three
times and served more than four years; Maria, is
the deceased wife of Jose|)h Enuis who for three
years was numbered among the boys in blue; John,
who was in the service but a short time, is now a
carpenter of Omaha, Neb.

Attending the common schools of the neighbor-
hood and aiding in the labors of the farm, such
w.as the way in which our subject spent his early
life. As soon as he was old enough he took charge
of his father's farm and in its management dis-
pla3'ed much ability. At the age of twenty four
years he formed a matrimonial alliance with Louisa
Smith, a native of Oliio, their union being cele-
brated December 1, 1859. Two years later, on the
24th of November, 1861, feeling the country needed
the services of all its loyal citizens, he enlisted in
Company M, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and served in
the Western department, i)aiticipating in the battle
of Vicksburg, the two engagements at Jackson, the
Big Blue in Missouri and the battles of Tupelo,
(iuntown and Selma, beside numerous skirmishes
and engagements of lesser importance. At Selma
he had his right arm so shattered by a musket ball
tliat amputation was necessary. He was wounded
about three oclock in the afternoon but did not re-
ceive medical aid until the next morning. Being
thus disabled for further duty he returned home
and received his discharge in August, 1865. He
held the non-commissioned ofHce of corporal.

Shortly after his return Jlr. Gantz was elected
Sheriff of Jefferson County and served for three
successive terms. On retirement from the oflice he
purchased the Gantz House, which he carried on for
eighteen years with good success. He then served
one term as Assessor of Fairfield and for the last
fifteen years he has been engaged in the livery bus-
iness, meeting with excellent success in that line.

328

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

He also owns a good farm of one hundred and
sixty acres in Black Hawk Township.

In. 1880, Mr. Gantz was called upon to mourn
the loss of his wife who died on the 4th of
June. On the 2.Sth of November, 1882, he wedded
Mrs. Rock, whose maiden name was Margaret
Vance. By iier former marriage she had three
children — Ettie, wife of Chester Smith; Mabel, and
Elva L., wife of J. W. Calhoun. The children
born unto Mr. Gantz by his first wife are Dr.
Byron N., of Fairfield; Minnie E., who is engaged
in teaching school; Ernest C, Grace L., James A.
and two who died in infancy.

Mr. Gantz and his wife are both members of the
Methodist Church of Fai-'Seld, and in politics he
is a Republican and a stalwart advocate of party
principles. He is an honored member of the Grand
Army of the Republic and of the Odd Fellows, hav-
ing been connected with the latter society for
thirty-four years. He is now Commander of
George Strong Post, No. 19, G. A. R., and feels a
special interest in that organization where are
banded together his comrades of the late war, and
where aie ever lovingl}^ remembered those of their
number who went forth to battle but never returned.
Mr. Gantz deserves all honor due to a loyal and
faithful soldier. He was ever found at his post of
duty and in the service of his country gave his
good right arm, the most essential member of the
body in almost whatever business engaged. The
government,however, in recognition of his services
pays him a pension of 845 per month.

■'l-'']L't'1>" '

^ R. ROBERT JONES STURDIVANT, de-
ceased, is numbered among the pioneer
settlers of Van Buren County and was
one of its leading citizens. As he was
widel}' known and as he was greatly instrumental
in the upbuilding of the county and the advance-
ment of its best interests, we feel this work would
be incomplete without his sketch. He was a native
of Virginia, his birth having occurred in Abingdon,

on the 18th of September, 1804. His parents were
Anthony and Jemima (Sheckleford) Sturdivant.
His father was a highh' educated man and held a
professorship in Abingdon College where our sub-
ject acquired the greater part of his education.
While \'et quite young in years, he went to Sulli-
van Count}', Tenn.. wliere he taught school and
studied medicine. In 1830, he was united in mar-
riage with Miss Ann Smithson and the following
year removed with his young wife to Salina, Ind.,
where he embarked in the prosecution of his chosen
profession. Scarcely had the Black Hawk War
l)cen brought to a close and the contested territory
opened for settlement, than the Doctor determined
to seek a home in that localitj-. Suiting the action
to the word, in the autumn of 1836, he started for
tlie land beyond the Mississippi and made a settle-
ment in Van Buren County, Iowa, which was then
a part of the Territor}' of Wisconsin. That was
his last move, for so admirably was he suited and
so prosperous were his undertakings that he had no
desire to go elsewhere. He purchased land and
erected a humble pioneer cabin and like the other
hardy early settlers began to develop the wild
prairie and make a home. Tiie same land on
which he located was the place of his residence at
the time of his death yet the changes which had
there been wrought were very great.

Sorrow visited the pioneer home in 1843, Dr.
Sturdivant suffering the loss of his wife and two
children who were called from this earth to the
better land. In 1845, lie was again married, his
second union being with Miss Margaret Cavin who
still survives her husband. A family of sixteen
children were born unto them but only nine are
still living.

The Doctor, by the exercise of thrift and indus-
try, supplemeniei ''jy good business ability, became
one of the substantial farmers of Van Buren Coun-
ty, and as the result of his forty-fouryearsof patient
toil he left his family in comfortable circumstances.
He w.as a man of fixed purpose and determination
and unswerving integrity. When he believed him-
self to be in the right nothing could deier him
from pursuing the path which he had marked out,
and his upright course won him both the confidence
and high regard of those with whom business or

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHIUAL ALBUM.

329

social relations bioiight him in contact. A firm
believer in the trutlis of the Bible lie met death
fearlessly, anticipating joyfully the life beyond the
grave. The community however, lost one of its
worthiest citizens, his friends an interesting and
instructive associate, and his family a devoted hus-
band and father.

After the death of the Doctor, Mrs. Sturdivant
married George W. Sturdivant, half brother of
her former husband, and is now a resident of
Bonaparte, Iowa.

^g-J#^U§e

w

"^OHN R. BELL, who is engaged in farming
and stock-raising on section 19, Van Buren
Township, Van Buren County, is a native
of Hancock Count}-, III. He was l)orn on
the 14th of November, 1,S3G, the third child of
.lames and liarbara (Walker) Bell. His father was
born in Mrginia, ,Tuly 10, 1813, and in his native
State in the usual manner of farmer lads spent his
boyhood da^s. At the age of sixteen years he
started out in life for himself, going to Campbell
County, Ky., where he worked as a farm hand b}'
the month for four or five years. He then married
and engaged in farming in his own interest. Re-
moving to Hancock County in 1836, he there spent
one year, during which time our subject was born,
and in 1837 continued his journey westward until
reaching Van Buren County, Iowa. He was truly
one of the pioneer settlers of this community. At
that time the work of advancement and progress
had searcelj' been commenced, few settlements had
been made and the country was still inhabited by
the red men. The land was unsurve^ed but Mr. Bell
made atlaim and as soon as it came into market paid
the Government price for his farm — 81.25 peracrc.
It was a one hundred and fift}--fi ve-acre tract of tim-
ber land without improvement, but tree after tree
fell before his ax, the brush was cleared away, the
ground was plowed, and in the course of time
abundant harvests were garneicd as the result of his
labors. That farm, wliicli a half century ago was an

unbroken wilderness, is now the home of our subject.
His father also made many substantial improve-
ments, including the erection, in 1856, of a good
l)rick dwelling. He was a quiet, unassuming man
yet just and honorable in all his dealings, winning
the respect of all with whom he came in contact.
He voted the Democratic ticket. His death oc-
curred on the old homestead. April 15, 1872. His
wife, who was born in Kentucky, May 4, 1810, and
resided in that State until her marriage, w.as called
to her final rest October 8, 1862. She was for
many years an active member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. Their family numbered six
children, all of whom grew to mature years, namely;
Eli D., a resident farmer of Van Buren Township;
Rachel D..wife of J. M. Jackson, of Davis County;
John R., of this sketch; George W., a farmer of
Davis County; Sarah E., wife of Jonathan Den-
ning, a farmer of Van Buren Township, and H. L.,
now deceased.

^yhen a babe of five months John R. Bell was
brought by his parents to Van Buren County, and
upon the farm which his father cleared auvl devel-
oped he has passed his entire life and the old home-
stead, doubly dear to him, .as the dwelling place
of his parents and the spot where his own boyhood
days were passed, will doubtless continue to be'his
abiding place until lliis life shall have ended. He
acquired his education in the district schools of the
neighborhood and, like a dutiful son, assisted his
father until he had attained to man's estate when
he began working in his own interests as a farmer.
Throughout his entire life he has engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits and in connection is now doing a
good business in the line of stock-raising. He keeps
on hand a good grade of stock which he is con-
stantly improving, and is now grading into Short-
horn cattle and heavy draft horses.

At the age of twenty-two years, jNIr. Bell was
joined in wedlock with Miss Sarah A. Bridell, of
this county, daughter of Isaac and Maria (Roach)
BridcU, both of whom were natives of Indiana.
Her parents are now deceased. By this union were
born three children : Marietta, who became the wife
of J. G. Hoolraan and died leaving one son —
Wentford R. ; Harriet T., wife of H. S. Beer, of
Van Buren Township, bj' whom she has one child —

330

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Van L.; Addie B., wife of George N. Shepherd, of
Union Township, Van Buren County. The mother,
wlio was a member of the Methodist Church, de-
parted this life July 11. 1871. On the 24th of Jan-
uary, 1872, Mr. Bell wedded Mrs. Almira Bell,
widow of H. L.Bell and daughter] of Henry and
Sarah (Knupp) Kimmel. Their union was blessed
with one child, John S., who was left motherless
September 16, 1876. On the 3d of October, 1877,
Mr. Bell was a third time married, his union being
with Miss Mary C. Miller, d.aughter of G. W. and
Eliza J. (Henry) Miller. They also had one child,
a daughter — Carrie M. The parents and the elder
children are members of the Methodist Church, and
in |)olitical sentiment, Mr. Bell is a Democrat. He
takes an active interest in all that pertains to the
advancementjand welfare of the community and is
an earnest worker in Mt. Zion Methodist Clnirch,
being Superintendent of the Sunday-school and
Class-Leader, having acted in that capacity for
twelve or fifteen years. Few, if any, have been
longer residents of the count}- than he. Its growth
and advancement he has witnessed, and in its de-
velopment he has borne no inconsiderable part. He
has seen towns and villages spring up,!has witnessed
the]introduction']of the railroad, has seen the es-
tablishment of churches and schools within its
borders, while the county has been made to bloom
and blossom like the rose.

•■*ss^" ^s^'i^^**^^<5«?*'tfi«s~

AJ. JOHN C. McCRAKT of Keosauqna,
Iowa, was a faithful soldier during the
struggle for the preservation of the Union,
is numbered among the pioneer settlers
of Van Buren County and yet ranks among her
leading and influential citizens. Two brothers, A.
H. and .1. C. McCrary came to Iowa when it
formed a part of the Territory of AVisconsin. Few
whom they found at that day still survive and those
who yet remain have bat a few j-ears in all proba-
bility before them, and for the purpose of perpetu-
ating tlieir memory and the deeds which they per-

formed we write this volume. Theirs has been a no-
ble work well done, and to them we owe an un-
bounded debt of gratitude which can be paid in no
other way than by tlius perpetuating^their lives and
sacredljf cherishing their memories.

The Major is a native of Indiana and a son of
Rev. John and Ruth (Wasson) McCrary. He was
born on the 7th of June, 1817, and at the age of
eighteen j'cars accompanied his parents to McDon-
ough County, III., but remained in that'region for
only about twelve months. In the winter of 1836-
37, in company with his brother, whose sketch ap-
pears elsewhere in this volume, he came to Van
Buren County and made a claim which he pur-
chased at the land sale and which to-day he still
has in his possession. Obtaining it from the gov-
ernment, it was consequently wholly unimproved,
not a furrow had been turned or the work of de-
velopment commenced. With Zealand energy he be-
gan the arduous task of transforming the wild prairie
into a fertile farm and zealously continued his ag-
ricultural pursuits until 1861, in which year other
interests claimed his time and attention.

The firing upon Ft. .Sumter was to Air. Mc-
Crary a call to arms, and in the first year of the
struggle he became a member of Company G, of
the Third Iowa Cavalry. He was tendered the
Captaincy of the company but thinking himself un-
fit for that position through inexperience, he con-
tented himself with the office of First Lieutenant
and with his company was mustered into service at
Keokuk. The regiment was divided into two
battalions, with one of which Mr. McCrary was
sent to Kirksville, Mo. At that place Capt. Maine
was killed and he was promoted to fill the vacancy.
The regiment was soon afterwards attached to
Davidson's Division under Gen. Steele, at Little
Rock, and in September, 1863, the brigade was
moved south to Benton, Ark., where Capt. Mc-
Crary was appointed Provost Marshal of that dis-
trict, in which capacity he served about four
months. During the time the other battalions
joined the forces there encamped and were then
ordered back to Little Rock where a portion of the
regiment, including our subject. veteranized and re-
ceived a thirty days' furlough. At the expiration
of that time they re-assembled at Keokuk. Shortlj'

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

331

afterwards Maj.Caldwell,of the Third Iowa Cavalry,
was promoted to be Lieutenant Colonel of the regi-
ment and a vacancy thus caused was to be supplied.
The choice fell upon Capt. McCrarj' but by a no-
ble sacrifice he surrendered tlie honor. At that
time there was but ono of the original Captains left
in the regiment — Capt. Muggett, of whom Mr. Mc-
Crary was a warm personal friend. Realizing that
his friend might feel offended by his promotion, he
went to liim, stated that the offer was not of his own
seeking and told him that he would resign the lionor
to him. Tlie Captain replied tliat he dislilied the
idea of accepting tiie f.'Wi'or, yet as lie liad entered
the service wearing the Captain's stripes lie did
not like to return bearing the same. Through the
generosity of Mr. McCrary it was arranged that
Capt. Muggett shoulil be appointed Major,while he
himself should take charge of the coinpan\' thus
left witliout a leader. Not long afterwards, how-
ever, Maj. Muggett resigned and our subject was
promoted to tlic position. As the Colonel and
Lieutenant Colonel were then detailed for special
service, he was left in command of the regiment
whicli liad previously participated in the hard
fought battle of Gun town, and also the engagement
at Tupelo, Miss. They afterwards returned to
Memphis and were stationed in that citj' when
Gen. Forrest made his raid, during which the Third
Iowa Cavalry succeeded in capturing some of the
convalescents. In Memphis Maj. McCrary was
badly injured by being thrown from a vicious
horse which unfitted him for duty for some time_
AVhile convalescing he returned lionie but as soon
as possible rejoined liis regiment at Memphis where
he tendered his resignation, wliicli, however was
not accepted. At Louisville he again wislied to
resign and b}' the advice of the surgeon was dis-
charged on the '28th of January, 1865, being phys-
ically unable to continue in command. From the
time of his enlistment until mustered out, Maj.
McCrary proved a faithful soldier and was ever
found at his post discharging his duties with all
promptness. He won alike the respect and confi-
dence of his superior officers and the soldiers under
him.

Ou the lotli of August, 1839, in Van Buren
Count}', Maj. McCrary wedded Miss Keren Leach,

a native of Virginia and by their union were born
six children, four of whom are now living — Mar-
garet A., wife of William B. Hamilton of Dakota:
Abner N., who served through the war in the
same regiment with his father; Amamla, wife of
William H. H. Thatcher of Topeka. Kan. ; John L.
who died in November, 1864; Oscar a resident of
Van Buren County ; and Orrin who is living in
Nebraska.

The Major is a pronounced Republican, un-
swerving in his support to the party principles and
was honored by an election to the office of Sheriff,
in which position he served two terms with credit
to himself and satisfaction to his constituents.

jjps^ MITH BROS, is one of the leading business
^^^ firms of Fairfield, Iowa, being composed
ljl/\uj of Harlan C. and Chester Y. Smith, who are
the publishers and editors of the Fairfield
Journal, a daily and weekly paper, which, as its
name indicates, is published in the county seat of
Jefferson County. As the Journal is one of the
leading papers of the county, if not the leading,
we are glad to give a short sketch of it in this work.
It was first established in 1880 with R. H. iSIoore,
now of the Ottumwa Democrat, as proprietor and
publisher. He conducted it up to the time of
its transfer to its present proprietors March 15,
1880, during which time it gained a good reputa-
tion and liberal iiatronage, neither of which has in
any wise diminished since it came under the control
of tlie present publishers. The Journal is the only
daily published in the county. The weekly edi-
tion is an eight-column quarto and thedailj' a seven-
column folio. The paiier is independent in politics
and is devoted to general and local news and the
discussion of all public events of interest to the
people. It has a good circulation and a steady
growth, and is well worthy the patronage ac-
corded it.

The senior member of the firm of Smith Bros.

332

rORTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

was srarUiated from the High School, of Bloomfielil,
and afterward took a special course in the Iowa
Wesle3-an University, of Mt. Pleasant. He .also
learned his trade in Bloomfield, Iowa, and subse-
quently engaged in the publication of the Winston
Enterprise, of Winston, Mo., until his removal to
Fairfield on the 15th of March, 1889, when he pur-
chased the Jb«/-»«nnterest. The younger brother,
who, prior to his advent into journalism, followed
the |)rofession of school-teaching .and was married,
on the ISlli of January, 1890, to Miss Etta Rock, a
student of Parsons College, is also a graduate of
tiie Bloomfield High School, and for a time was
a student in Parsons College, of Fairfield. It will
thus be seen that the brothers are well fitted for the
publication of the paper, and combining industry
and enterprise with their ability in this line, their
efforts will doubtless be crowned with success.

EV. DAA^D C. SMITH, a minister of the
Methodist Episco[)al Church, formerly a
resident of Fairfield and father of the Smith
I Bros, of that place, was born in Perry
County, Pa., on the 17lh of November, 1837, and
is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth Smith. His par-
ents were also natives of the Keystone State, but
the family was originally of German descent. Al-
though his educational advantages in youth were
me.agre, being limited to such as the common
schools of the d.aj' afforded, he became a well-in-
formed man. Possessing an observing eye, reten-
tive memory and superior reasoning faculties, he
gave careful attention to the study of men and
their manners, read standard works and in vari-
ous ways added to his fund of knowledge until he
was enabled to te.ach school and subsequently to
enter upon the work of the ministry.

When a young man of twenty years the Rev.
Mr. Smith sought a home in Iowa, making his first
loc.ation-in Ainsworth, Washington County', where
he engaged in teaching school. Five years later
he was admitted to the Iowa Methodist Conference

and was assigned to Webster as his first charge.
His entire ministerial labors have been within the
Iowa Conference and have been productive of
much good. He has served as Presiding Elder of
the Oskaloosa District four years, for two years
was pastor of the church in Fairfield and is now
pastor of the church in Albia.

In 1863 the Rev. Mr. Smith was married, in Tri-
voli, Peoria County, III., to Miss Georgiana Young,
who was born near Trivoli and is a daughter of
Capt. Young, a native of Bath, Me. Her father at
one time followed a seafaring life and w.as captain
of a vessel, but afterward abandoned that occupa-
tion and engaged in inland pursuits. The family
liorn of their union numbered five children — four
sons and a daughter. The eldest, Frank Forest,
died in infancy; Harlan C. is a member of the firm
of Smith Bros., publishers and editors of the Fair-
field Journal; Chester Y. is a partner of his brother;
Vida F. and Charles V. are still at home. The
mother, a most estimable lady, died October 12,
1889. In politics Mr. Smith is a Prohibitionist and
a memlier of the State Central Committee, ap-
pointed by the Iowa State Temperance Convention
of .January 9, 1890. His ]Hire, upright life supple-
menting his earnest and eloquent words in the pul-
pit have led many to believe in the AVord and
accept the salvation offered them. He is honored
in whatever community he makes his homo and it is
with pleasure that we record this sketch.

ACHARIAH TAYLOR LEWIS, present Re-
corder of Jefferson County, Iowa, and a
resident of Fairfield, is now serving his
third term and sixth year in the above position.
He is a native of Iowa, born in Van Buren County,
October 9, 1847. He is second in order of birth
of a family of twelve children born unto Owen and
Margaret D. (Jackson) Lewis, who are numbered
among the early settlers of Iowa. His father was
born in Shelby County, Ind., December 9, 1821,
and is a son of William Lewis, who served in the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

333

War of 1812. The family immigrated to the
West from New England, where the original ances-
tors had probably settled in a very early day.
Owen Lewis came to Iowa on the 20th of March,
1837. Margaret D. Jackson was born in Ran-
dolpli County, N. C, February 8, 1824, and came
with her parents, David and Sarah Jackson, to Iowa
July 4, 1836. They first settled in Lee County, and
a few years later removed to Jefferson County.
Owen Lewis, and Margaret D. Jackson, were mar-
ried in Jefferson County on the 28th of May
1844. They are still residents of this county, mak-
ing their home in Liberty Township, and are num-
bered among the highly respected citizens of the
community. Mr. Lewis has lived the life of a
quiet unassuming farmer, supporting the Republi-
can party since its formation, but taking no special
interest in politics.

The childhood and youth of our subject were
spent in Liberty Township, in a manner similar to
that in which all farmer lads pass their time. His
primary education was acquired in the common
schools of the neighborhood and supplemented by
a course in the Academy of Birmingham. He then
started out in life for himself and up to the time
when he entered upon hisotticial duties as County
Recorder, was engaged in farming and teaching. In
the autumn of 1884. his name was placed before
the people as a candidate of the Republican party
for the office of Recorder of Jefferson County, and
being elected by a handsome majority he entered
upon the discharge of his duties on the 1st of Jan-
uary, 1885. So ably did lie fill the office that he
was re-elected in 1886, and again in 1888, and is
now serving his sixth year in the same position.
His time and attention is devoted almost exclu-
sively to the business connected with it and he has
therefore proved a comi)etent official.

In Black Hawk Township on December 1, 1886,
Mr. Lewis was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary
J. Minter, a native of this county, and a daughter
of James Monroe and Hannah L. (Trail) Minter.

David K. Minter, the grandfather of Mrs. Lewis,
was born in Virginia in 1810, and when a child re-
moved with his parents to Tennessee, and there
grew to manhood. Having attained his majority,
he went to Jacksonville, 111., where lie taught

sciiooffor some years. He subsequently removedto
Iowa, settling near Mt. Pleasant,'where he| was mar-
ried in 1839. In 1842, he][came^ to| Jefferson
County, locating in Penn Township, where his deatii
occurred, December 9, 1888.GJames^M.' Minter
was born in Penn Township in 1843. He served
as a soldier during the late Civil War. in C^ompany
F, Eighth Iowa Infantry. In 186,'). lie wedded
Miss Hannah L. Trail, who lived but a few years,
and after her death removed to Nebraska where he
still resides. Mrs. Minter was born in 1846; her
parents were natives of Maryland and settled in
Washington County, Iowa, in 1858, and two years
later located in Jefferson County.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis has been
blessed with two children: Lila May, born May
1, 1888, and Charles M., born June 13, 1890. They
have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in
Fairfield and Jefferson County, and well deserve
the high regard in which they are held by all who
know them.

- or» ■

m

ooo

'^f/OHN W. CULBERTSON, deceased, was
born in Westmoreland County, Pa., July 7,
1807. His father, Hon. Hugh Culbertson,
/ was born in Franklin County, Pa., but
reared in Westmoreland Countj-, and was of Scotch
descent. He wedded Miss Jane Welch, a native of
Lancaster County, Pa., and after their marriage
they removed to Wayne County, Ohio, in 1823.
Both were active members of the Presbyterian
CJhurch and their active consistent Christian lives
won them the high regard of the entire community.
He was an extensive farmer and for many j-ears
held the office of County Judge. His death oc-
curred in the eighty-first year of his age and his
wife was called to her final rest while in her seven-
tieth year.

Our subject was the fourth in a family of twelve
children and in the usual manner of farmer lads his
early life was spent. He received a limited educa-
tion in the district schools of the neighborhood, be-
came familiar with all the details and routine of

334

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

farm life, but upon reaching manhood he turned
his attention to merchandising whii/h he followed
in Wooster, Ohio, his family liaving removed
to Wayne County when he was a lad of sixteen
summers, i'or a companion in life's journey he
cliose Miss Elizal)eth A. Eagle, daughter of William
and Rachel (Anderson) Eagle, and on the 2-2ndof
January. 1834, their marriage was celebrated. She
was born in Wayne County, February 20, 1811.
and her parents were natives of Virginia, her father
having been born near Ilagerstown and her mother
near C'rissuptown. Her paternal grandparents were
both natives of England, but in youth came to this
country and settled in Virginia where they were
married. Her grandmother Anderson was also a
native of England l)ut lier husband was of Scotch
extraction. Mrs. Culbertson's parents are num-
bered among the early settlers of tlie Buckeye Statu.
They were married in Lancaster County and sub-
sequently removed to Wayne County, where Mr.
Eagle followed fanning until 1840, which 3'ear wit-
nessed the removal of himself and family to JMis-
souri. He died in KirksviUe, that State, at the age
of eightj'-one j'cars and his wife died near Macon
City, Mo., in her ninet3'-third 3ear. As the}' were
worthy citizens deep regret was felt at their loss for
they had manj- warm friends. The husband was
a Democrat in politics and in pursuit of fortune
followed farmuig throughout his entire life. Both
he and liis wife were members of the ^Methodist
Episcopal Church. Of llieir family of seven chil-
(iren, consisting of three sons and fonr daughters,
only three are now living — Mary, the widow of
Jonathan Montgomerj', who resides at Macon, Mo.;
Hon. Thomas A., who is a medical practitioner bj'
profession, of Macon Count}', Mo.; and Elizabeth
A. wife of our subject.

Mr. and Mrs. Cnlbertson removed to Gilead,
Wood County, Ohio, where for some time he en-
gaged in m.erchandising and also held the ollice of
Postmaster. In 1838, he removed to Lawrence
County, 111., and the following j-ear made a trip
to Iowa in search of a location. The country and
its prospects were all that he anticipated and being
favorably impressed with the surroundings he de-
termined to make Jefferson County his future home.
It is needless to say that he had no occasion to i-e-

gret the step tliustaktn. Accompanied by his wife

he landed in Fairfield on the 6th of February, 1840.
He purchased a claim of three hundred and twen-
ty-five acres for 8400, entered it when the land
came into market and in the course of time had a
fine home, higlily cultivated and with splendid im-
provements thereon, adding both to its value and
attractiveness. Prosperity attended his footsteps
as a reward for his labor and zeal and at his death
he left his family well provided for.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cnlbertson were born two chil-
ren: William B., now a prominent lawyer of Bur-
lington; and Edward B., who died when about
twenty-four years of age. The record of this fam-
ily during tlie early years of their residence in Jef-
ferson County, is one of interest and serves to il-
lustrate the general condition of affairs at that
time. When Mr. Cnlbertson and his wife came to
Fairfield they stopped first at the tavern, a hnuse
20x20 feet witli puncheons overhead to furnish a
sleeping apartment. Between twenty and thirt}'
boarders were accommodated, or rather lodged, for
such close quarters coul.l hardly be designated ac-
commodations. Not relishing such a life Mr. Cnl-
bertson rented a little log cabin but the shelter it
afforded was very inetlicient. Mis wife was in deli-
cate health anil the wonder is that she ever sur-
vived the winter. One niglit she awakened and said
to her husband that it must be snowing, whereupon
he sprang from his bed and found himself several
inches in snow. For the use of that cabin the}' paid
$.') per month. They soon, however, built a two
roomed bouse but it became too cold to con)|)lete the
work, so they tacked clapboards over the cracks as
best they could and moved in. There was no fur-
niture in Fairfield, so they went to Burlington and
bought all of the saleable furniture the [ilace con-
tained, amounting to a bed, table, and a set of chairs
but the people were very neighborly and would
share with one another any available thing. Mrs.
Cnlbertson had a small copper kettle in which the
entire community maile preserves. Mrs. M. E.
Woods possessed a large brass kettle, which all
used in washing and JMrs. Dr. Moberly furnished
the neighborhood with a large iron soap kettle. A
feeling of kindliness and friendliness then existed,
such as is uncommon at this day. ancl no one felt

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

335

that he fouhi selfishlj' keep for his own use any ar-
ticle which his neighbors were not fortunate enough
to possess.

Time brings changes of wliich even the most far-
sighted did not dream and llie once sparsely set-
tled region has been transformed into a coXinty in
in many respects second to none in the State, which
is inhabited by a contented and intelligent jieople,
whose well cultivated farms and comfortable homes
speak of thrift and industry. Changes came also to
Air. and and Mrs. Culbertson and success crowned
their efforts, yielding them a comfortable income of
which they ever gave liberally for ciiaritable
and benevolent purposes and for the advancement
of such enterprises as are calculated to benelit the
communitj'. Mr. Culbertson was also called ufion to
serve in official positions. He vvas receiver at the
land office at Fairfield until its removal from tlie
citv, was County Clerk for a number of years and
was a member of the Territorial Legislature. In
politics he atliliated with tlie Democratic party and
socially' was an Odd Fellow. He died May 8, IMs;).
lamented by a grateful people. Mrs. Culbertson
still lives, honored and loved by all who knew her.
For sixty-two years she has beiui connected with
the Methodist Church, being one of the live charter
members of that dentunination iu Fairfield, and the
only one yet living.

\f$*^ AV'ID DUKE, who is the owner of a good
farm of one huuilred and sixty-eight acres
on section 2, Black Il.'itvk Township, Jeffer-
son County, was born in Virginia. February 3,
1825. The famil}' is of Irish origin and was
founded in America by James Duke, the grand-
father of our subject, who emigrated from the
Green Isle of Erin to the New World, in the eiglit-
eenth conluiy. His son, Thomas, a V^irginian by
birth, learned the cooper's trade in his youth and
in connection with that occupation operated a
small farm in his native State, but after his emi-
gration to Ohio, about the year 1853, he devoted

himself exclusively to agricultural pursuits. He
served in the War of 1812. and soon after his re-
turn from the army married Miss Sidney Johnston,
who l)elonged to an old Mrginian family. Thej'
were the parents of the following children, the two
eldest of whom, James and Susan, are now deceased ;
Thomas is living in Virginia; David is the next
younger; Mary J. is the wife of Jacob Drenner,
of Kansas; Sarah J. is the wife of Flwood Johnson,
of Iowa; Emily niarrie<l Benjamin Ritt, of Vir-
ginia; Hugh R. is living in Woodburn, Iowa;
Catherine and Julia arc deceased; and Luther L.
is a resident of Jefferson County.

In his youth David Duke received a good Eng-
lish education, but otherwise his advantages were
limited, as his father w.as in limited circumstances,
had a large family dependent upon him for sup|)(U't
and. tlierefore, could not provide his children
with better opportunities. At the age of seven-
teen years David bade gooil-bj' to his home, left
the (larental roof and started out in life for him-
self, lie became the manager of a large planta-
tion, of which he had charge three years, and tlien
spent the succeeding five years in travel. On the
5th of March, 1857. he was united in marriage
with Miss Phcebc Hone, of Ohio, and live days
later, accompanied by his bride, started for the
West. He made a settlement in Washington County,
Iowa, but after renting a farm for two years came
to Jefferson County and shortly afterward pur-
chased Land in Keokuk C(uinty just across the di-
vision line. He there made his home until 1876,
when he purchased eighty-eight acres of land on
section 2, Black Hawk Townsliip, to which he has
since added another eighty-.acre tract. He was also
owner of an additional quarter-section of land,
but that he divided among his children. His farm
is one of the best in the neighborhood, a fine resi-
dence, good barns and outbuildings, the latest im-
proved machinery and well-tilled fields all indicat-
ing the thrift and enterprise of the owner, who ranks
among the leading agriculturists of Jefferson
County. He is an intelligent and successful busi-
ness man, who identifies himself with tlie best in-
terests of the commuiiitv, and is ever re.ady to aid
in the promotion of such enterprises as will .ad-
vance the general welfare. In political sentiment

336

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Mr. Duke is a Democrat, but supported President
Lincoln and his administration during tlie war.
He lias represented bis township in the conventions
of his party, but believing it to be more i)rofitable
to devote his time and energies to liis business,
has never sought political preferment. Socially,
he is a Royal Arch Mason and his wife is a mem-
ber of the Methodist Church.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Duke have been born seven
children — William, who was born December 6,
1857, and was liberally educated, having been a
student in the college at Pella, is now a farmer of
Woodliurn, Iowa; Walter, born March 8, 1858,
was also afforded ample opportunity for securing
an education, and is a leading farmer of Keokuk
County; Artemesia is the wife of Eli Emery, of
Black Hawk Township; Herod, who was gradu-
ated from the Elliott Business College, of Bur-
lington, Iowa, is a hardware merchant of Hedrick;
Minnie, Frank and Fred, the latter twins, are the
younger members of the family, and are still with
their parents.

^^=

E^^

OBERT TILFOUD GILMER. Among the
most prosperous and successful farmers of
Jefferson County, as well as one of the
) earliest pioneers, must be classed the worthy
citizen whose name heads this sketch. He is a na-
tive of Adair County, Ky., his birth having there
occurred on January 21, 1817. His parents, James
and Elizabeth (Tilford) Gilmer, were also natives
of Kentucky and their sketch appears elsewhere in
this work.

Our subject was reared to agricultural pursuits
and received a common-school education. When in
his twentieth year he accompanied his parents to
Iowa, driving an ox-team all the way, while his
sisters rode on horseback the entire distance.
Starting in the fall of 1836, they traveled as far as
McDonough County, III., where they spent the win-
ter, resuming their journey the following spring.
In April, 1837, they arrived at their destination in

Jefferson County and during the succeeding few
.years Mr. Gilmer assisted his father in erecting
buildings and improving and carrying on the farm.
On December 11, 1855, he was married near Ber-
lin, Sangamon County, III., to Miss Anna C. Scott,
a daughter of Andrew Scott and a sister of Alex-
ander and James L. Scott, who ware prominent
pioneers of Ft. Des Moines, now the capital city of
Iowa. The lady was born in Crawford County,
Ind., and removed with her parents to Illinois when
but tliree years of age.

Mr. Gilmer and wife began their domestic life in
Round I'rairie Township, where he was extensively
engaged in farming and stock-raising for some
time. Three children were born of their union —
twin daughters who died in infancy, and a son,
Frank, who was born in Round Prairie Township,
March 2, 1858. He was reared to farm life, edu-
cated in the schools of Round Prairie Township
and Fairfield, and is now residing with his parents
in the city of Fairfield. Through industry and
judicious management, Mr. Gilmer increased his
possessions until he now owns three large and hand-
somel}' improved farms, well stocked and fitted out.
Two of these farms lie adjacent in Round Prairie
Township and aggregate nine hundred and sixty
acres; the other is situated in Cedar Township and
contains three hundred and sixty acres, making
a total of thirteen hundred and twenty acres,
besides which he has a homestead plat of six
acres with a fine residence in the city of Fairfield.
The original cost of the city property was $6,000
but has increased in value since coming into pos-
session of its present owner who has added many
improvements thereto. The farming lands, judg-
ing from the present prices of real estate (which
are now low) are worth from $35 to $40 per acre.

Mr. Gilmer is a Republican buthas never sought
any political office. He once served a term of two
years as a member of the Board of County Com-
missioners, but accepted the office against his vvish
and inclination and could never again be induced
to serve in a public position. His wife is a member
of the Christian Church and has been connected
with that denomination for man}^ years. It is with
pleasure that we present to the readers of the
Album this brief sketch of the life work of Mr.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

337

Gilmer, who has been a resident of Jefferson
County for fifty-tliree years and is one of the very"
few left of its earliest settlers. His life has been a
busy and useful one, and he is now at the age of
sevenly-tliree years, still active, both menially and
physically. He removed to the city expecting to
lay .iside all business and secure relief from the
care of his three l.irge farms, but he still finds
himself doing as much work as a man of middle
age ordinarily performs.

-^ M — ^—^

ALFRED JOHNSON, residing on section 13,
Lo''usi Grove Township, Jefferson County
is the owner of a fine farm of three hundred
and sixty acres, and in connection vith its cultiva-
tion is engaged in raising fine stock. Mr. John-
son is of Swedish birth and is a son of a Swedish
farmer and stock-buyer, Yohnz Johnson, who spent
his entire life in his native land, dying in 1845. His
wife, whose maiden name was MaryChoron, sur-
vived him some twenty years.

Alfred was a lad of twenty years when he left
the Fatherland for America. In company with
three companions, he crossed the Atlantic in a sail-
ing-vessel and after a voyage of twentj'-one days
landed in New York City. He immediately quitted
the Eastern metropolis and sought a home in the
West, his destination being Jefferson County. Iowa,
where a colony of Swedish emigrants had located
some years previous. He had been liberally edu-
cated in his native land but in no other way, ex-
cept by the possession of a deter;iiined will and
energy, was he fitted for the battle life. His cash
capital consisted of but twenty-five cents, yet un-
daunted by the formidable task which lay before
him, he sought work and laid the foundation for
future success. For some time he was employed as
a farm hand, continuing that labor until he could
engage in business for himself.

In Fairfield, in 1865, Mr. Johnson was united in
marriage with Mrs. Lucinda Johnson, a native of
Sweden. She came to this county in 1846. By her

former marriage she became the mother of five
children: Washington, who is married and resides
in Madison County, Iowa; Laura, now Mrs. Win-
crist, of Holridge, Neb. ; Larkin.who is married and
resides in Portland, Ore. ; Charlie, a resident of
Madison Count3', Iowa; and Esther, who is married
and living in Ringgold, Iowa. Unto Alfred John-
son and his worthy wife have also been born five
children: jNIary, now Mrs. Walker, of Nebraska;
Ed, who is married and makes his home in Polk
Township; Hannah, at home; Etta, now Mrs. Mc-
Clare}', of Keokuk County, Iowa, and Carrie.

Mr. Johnson is truly a self-made man, his suc-
cess in life being due entirely to his own efforts.
He is numbered among the substantial citizens of
Jefferson County, having considerable property,
including the three hundred and sixty-acre farm
mentioned at the beginning of this sketch. Tlie
first year afttr his marriage he resided in Fairfield
Township, but in 1866, removed to Locust Grove
Township, purchasing a partially improved farm of
eighty acres, the nucleus of his present landed pos-
sessions. He also devotes considerable attention
to stock-raising. In his political affiliations, Mr.
Johnson is a stanch Democrat, and socially, is a
member of the Odd Fellows society of Brookville.
The duties of citizenship he faithfuUj' discharges,
his business he attends to promptlj' and efficiently
as is indicated by his success. Those who know,bira
respect him for his upright life and the friends of
the Johnson family are many.

yipILLIAM McCRACKIN was born April 11,
/ 1804, in Armstrong County, Pa., and was
reared in that county, his parents being of
Scotch-Irish descent. He learned the hatter's
trade but devoted his attention to farming, mer-
chandising and hotel-keeping.

In 1829 Mr. McCrackin was married to Miss
Mary Ralston, who was also born in Armstrong,
County, October 26, 1808. She was the daughter

338

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAITIICAL ALBUM.

of Davifl Ralston and Agnes Sharp, the latter be-
ing the first white child born in that part of Penn-
sylvania, nnd it may be observed tliat lier fatlier,
Andrew Sharp, was killed by the Indians while
taking his family to Ft. Pitt for protection, and he
is buried in Pittsburg.

For a quarter of a century l\Ir. McCrack'n
made his home in Indiana, Pa. la the autumn of
1855 be started with his family for Nebraska. Go-
ing to Pitt«burg in wagons, he embarked on a
steamboat with wagons, horses, etc., for St. Louis,
at the latter place disembarked and proceeded north
and west as far as Fairfield where, the weather be-
coming too cold for comfortable traveling, it was
decided to stop. Every house in Fairfield was oc-
cupied, and the only w.ay shelter could be obtained
was to buy a house.

Mr. McCrackin died May 7, 1857,and Mrs. Mc-
Crackin decided to remain in Fairfield, where she
lived until her death, on July 27, 1888. Both were
members of the United Presl)yterian Church. Unto
iMr. and Mrs. McCrackin were born ten children,
eight of whom grew to mature years; Jane, wife
of. Dr. William Anderson, of Indiana. Pa.; David
R.dston, who died in Fairfield, February 6, 1890;
Nancy S. wife of Capt B. F. Crail; Mary A.; Will-
iam W. and Joseph R., both living in Butte City,
Mont.; Eliza M. and Alexander.

Mrs. McCrackin sent all her sons to the support
I if the l^nion, in the late war, the youngest being
only thirteen and one-half years old. On the first
cnll for troops, David, who was in St. Louis, en-
listed in tlie First Missouri Infantry, and served
with that regiment for his term of enlistment, being
in the battle of Wilson's Creek; he then enlisted in
the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and was mustered out the
following year. He served as Deputy Provost
Marshal for a time, and then enlisted in Company
I. Forty-fifth Iowa Infantry, and was made First
Lieutenant; he remained in that regiment until it
was disbanded. William served with David in the
Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and upon being discharged
from that regiment he enlisted in a Pennsylvania
regiment and after the expiration of tiiat enlist-
ment he served in the Navy as Master's mate on
the Mississippi River, until the end of the Rebel-
lion; Joseph, though only a boy, served in the

Eighth Iowa Cavalry; Alexander enlisted in the
Navy and served on the Mississippi River with
Capt. William R. Wells for a year; he then entered
the Naval Academ}', and is now in the Nav}'.

..-.^J*J#^^^^

ANFORD M. BOLING, agent for the Uni-
ted States Express Company at F'airfield,
Jefferson County, was born in Muskingum
County, Ohio, December 30, 1834, and is a
son of William and Julia (Grimsley) Boling, both
of whom were natives of Virginia. The parents
of our suliject were married in their native State
and in an early day emigrated to Muskingum
County', Ohio. After reaching man's estate Mr.
Boling learned the plasterer's trade which he fol-
lowed in pursuit of fortune throughout life. In his
political affiliations he was a Democrat.

Our subject is the only one out of five children
living in Iowa. The family once numbered eleven
children, of whom he was the third in order of
birth, but six have been called from this life. He
received his education in the old subscription
sc^hools common at that early day and at the age
of ten years began working at the plasterer's trade
with his father. His life was unmarked by any
event of special importance until in August 1862,
when he enlisted in Company F, of the One Hun-
dred and Twenty-second Ohio Volunteers. He was
immediately commissioned Second Lieutenant and
vpith his command joined the army of the Potomac.
Passing through Virginia, as far as Winchester,they
commenced to fortif}' that place and while thus en-
gaged Mr. Boling contracted typhoid fever, result-
ing in almost total blindness, from which he has
onl}' partially recovered. He went home to be
treated and while away, his regiment participated
in the great battle of Gettysburg. Having re-
joined his command in Martinsburg, Va., he started
on the Mine Run campaign, but after marching a
time through the mud and enduring untold hard-
ships, the project was abandoned. Mr. Boling was
Acting Adjutant and on the call for an officer and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

339

four men to go to Columbus. Ohio on detail service,
he was selected. From that time until liis disclmrge
on December 30, 18G4, he remained in the capital
city of Ohio. His duties there were very arduous,
it being a part of his labors to pilot recruit soldiers
from Columbus to southern posts.

In .January, 1865, Mr. Boling first set foot on
Fairfield soil. In the j'ears which have come and
gone since tliat time he has had no occasion to re-
gret his choice of a location, for he has formed
many ties of friendship which bind him to the
place with cords of love which he would not sever.
During the first five years after his arrival he was
in the employ of tlie American Express Company-,
but his health so failed him tliat he was coniDelled
to change his occupation and for a time he worked
at the plasterer's trade. This was followed by one
year spent as a contractor and in Januar}", 1874, he
entered upon the duties of the office of Auditor of
Jefferson County, in which capacity he served the
people acce[)tably for six years. His worth and
ability having been tested and f(jnnd to be in me.-it
even above what his friends had anticipated, in
1879, he was honored with an election to the State
Senate and served in that body during the sessions
of 1880 and 1882. In the first Assembly, he was
Chairman of the Committee on Penitentiaries. which
originated a bill creating the office of warden in the
penitentiary at Animosa. He was tiie active siiirit
in securing an amendment to equalize the good
time earned bj' convicts. Up to this time counties
could vote on public improvements only at general
ele(!tions, and .as a result when one parly cham-
pioned any |)ulilic enterprise, the other felt boiiud
to oppose. It thus became difficult for a county
even to erect a court house, anri it was through the
inslruinenlality of Mr. Holing that an amendment
Wcis passed permitting such questions to be voted
upon either at general or special elections. Dur-
ing the sessi(jn of 1882, he was Chairman of the
committee on Pidjlic Buildings and secured the
passage of a bill appropriating a half million to
complete the State Capitol. Former a|)|iroprialions
had been so small that they vvere largely consumed
in paying the salaries of those selected to look after
their expenditure and in the p.assage of this hill
Mr. Boling performed an important work. In 1883,

after retiring to private life, he became agent for
the United Stales Express Cora|)any at Fairfield, in
which capacity he has since served, covering a
period of seven consecutive years.

Blr. Boling has also l)oen called upon by his
townsmen of Fairfield to represent them in the
Council and lir.s served in the honored position of
Mayor of the city. He accepted the latter office in
order to assist in securing for the city, control of
tlic water works, wiiicli up to that time had be-
longed to a corporation. In all his public life he
has been faithful to every trust reposed in him and
has won the confidence and regard of even his po-
litical enemies. He cast his first wle for Buchanan
In 1856, but since that time has been a supporter of
the Republican party. Socially, he belongs to the
M.asonic and Odd-Fellows fraternities and to the
tirand Array Post of Fairfield, of which he is a
charter member.

Ml. Boling chose as a life conip.anion Jliss Hes-
ter A. Younkin, tlicir marriage being celebrated on
the ITlh of January, 1865. Mrs. Boling is a na-
tive of Muskingum County, Ohio, and with her
daughter, Bessie, their only child, carries on a mil-
linery store in Fairfield. Mr. Boling is one of Fair-
field's most highly esteemed citizens and it Is with
jileasure that we record his sketch in the history of
his adopted county.

•»s»t*-^;»6S»^^-!C5tf-.«ffitf-.

E" LMER A. HOWARD, Vice-President of the
Iowa State Savings Bank of Fairfield, is a
i native of the city which still continues to

1)6 his home. He was l)orn on the 18th of July,
1858. his parents being Levi and Elizabeth (Cook)
Howard, who are numbered among the early settlers
of Jefferson County, and still resiile in Fairfield.
His father was a natives of Indiana and his mother
was born in Ohio, and on another }Kige of this vol-
ume a sketch of this worthy couple appears.

The early educational advantages of our subject,
acquired in the ])ublic schools, were supplemented
by a course in the Axliue University, of Fairfield,

346

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

nnd he was thus fitted for a useful and busy career.
In 1885 he was appointed Indian Agent by Presi-
dent Cleveland, for the Pima. Maricopa and Papago
Indian tribes of Arizona. He held tiiat position
two and a half years, during which time he met
witli many interesting experiences, but at the ex-
piiation of that period resigned. Later he was
appointed Agent for the Kiowa Indians, but he did
not accept and returned home. In 1888 lie became
a partner in the boot and shoe business with Ed
Hunt, which connection continued uninterruptedly
until July 1, 1 8'JU, when the partnership vvas dis-
solved, Mr. Howard retiring. In the spring of
1890 the Iowa State Savings Bank was organized,
and he became its Vice-President.

On the -iCth of Murch, 1883, in this city, Mr.
Howard was united in the liol}' bonds of matri-
mony with Miss Mary L. Larason, and their union
has been blessed with two children, sons — Nathan-
iel, who is now six \'ears of age, and Hubert, a
babe of one year.

In political sentiment Mr. Howard is a Democrat,
and is a member of the County Board of Supervis-
ors. He is a prominent member of the Masonic
order, belonging to Clinton Lodge, No. 15. A. F.
& A. M.; McCord Chapter, No. 7, R. A. M., and
Jerusalem Commandery, No. 1, K. T. He has now
a handsome competency as the result of his energj'
and good management, and is connected with one
of the leading financial institutions of this part of
the State.

» — €-*-^-

||/_^ ON. EDWARD CAMPBELL, Jr., a farmer
ll residing in Fairfield, was born in Washing-
ton County, Pa., on New Year's Day of
1820. His parents were Robert and Blary
(Hindman) Campbell. The father, who was also a
native of Washington County, was descended from
Scotch-Irish ancestry, his parents being natives of
Belfast, Ireland, while the family was originally of
Scottish origin. They were Presbyterians of. the
old school, and the family gave to the world along

race of divines of that faith. The mother of our
subject was born in Cecil County, Md., and be-
longed to an old family- of that State, which was
established by English colonists several generations
remote. When Mr. Campbell's parents settled in
Washington County, that region was only just be-
ing opened to civilization. His father owned a
new farm in the timber, and when E<lward was but
a child, was killed bj' accident. Educational ad-
vantages were necessarily limited, and the first
school our subject attended, was held in a log house
with a clay floor. No glass appeared in the win-
dows, but instead the light was admitted through
sheets of paper that had previously been used for
writing lessons, and then oiled and fastened to the
openings in the sash. Hard labor was his portion
from early youth, but being studious and ambitious
to acquiie knowledge, he made the best possible
use of his opportunities which had improved as
time progressed. .Supplementing his school privi-
leges with personal effort at self-culture, _he ac-
quired a thorough English education, and a fair
knowledge of the classics.

In March, 1841, when twenty-one 3'ears of age,
Mr. Campbell was married in Alleghany County,
Pa., to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John Moore,
and a native of the county in which their union
was celebrated. The succeeding five years he spent
in farming in the Keystone State, and in 1846, re-
moved to Pittsburg, where he was emjiloyed six
3'ears as chief clerk in the office of the Prothonotary,
and Sheriff, and was also clerking in a bank. He
was subsequently elected to the offices of Prothono-
tary and Sheriff of the county, and the term of his
official service extended over fifteen j'ears. In
18G5, he came to Iowa and settled in Cedar Town-
ship, Jefferson County, where he engaged m farm-
ing and stock-growing. He extended his purchases
of real estate until he now has a fine farm of nine
hundred and sixty acres in one tract, situated six
miles southeast of Fairfield. He continued his resi-
dence in Cedar Township until 1879, when he re-
moved to the city, where he now resides.

In early life Mr. Campbell was a Whig, and
voted with that party until 1850, when he joined
the Dcjmocrats. and really began his political life
in active opposition to Know Nothiugism and to

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

341

the principle of protective tariff. While a resident
of Cedar Township, he served as School Director
many years, and in 1871 was elected to the State
Legislatnre, serving in the session of 1872, and in
the extra session of the General Assembly of 1873.
In 1885, he was appointed by President Cleveland
to the office of Marshal for the southern district of
Iowa, and held the office for four and a half years.
For many years our subject has been an active and
influential worker in the cause of Democracy, hav-
ingserved ten years as chairman of the Democratic
State Central Committee, and devoted much time
and considerable capital to the siiiiport of his party
and its principles.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Ciimpboll was blessed
with eight children, four sons and four daughters, of
whom five are now living: Amelia, the eldest, died
in infancy; John M. resides in Virginia City, Nev.,
where he edits the Dally Enterprise; Mary Belle is
the wife of N. S. Bright, a hardware merchant of
Fairfield, Iowa; Alice is the widow of Joseph M.
Atchison, Hate a lawyer of Pittsburg, Pa., and now
resides with her father in Fairfield, being at present
employed as clerk in the post-office; Robert died
in infancy; Anna Cora is the wife of Samuel C.
Farmer, Jr., of Chicago; Colin E. resides in Des
Moines; and William Clifford died in Fairfield, in
December, 1887, at the age of twenty-seven years.

Mr. Campbell has been an industrious student
from his early youth, and possesses scholarly at-
tainments of a high order. His reading has been
varied and extensive, and as he is blessed with a
retentive memory, and a taste for the intellectual,
he has familiarized himself with the works of the
best writers of ancient times, of the middle ages
and the modern period, and possesses a versatility
of knowledge rarel}- found in one who has made his
own way in the world, and who has never enjoyed
the advantages of a collegiate education. During
his residence of thirty years in Iowa, Mr. Campbell
has acquired an extensive acquaintance among the
leading men of the State of all parties. In tiie
course of his business relations he enjoys the repu-
tation of being upright and honorable in a marked
degree, and of being liberal and free-handed where-
ever be can aid any worthy public enterprise. So-
cially, he is deservedly popular. Possessing as he

does such a variedjfund of general information, and
a quaint humor that is irresistible, he' is always en-
tertaining in conversation~and a welcome:'com-
panion.

'^'->^;^^^^^^^<-<

AMUEL M. MORRIS, a farmer and stock-
raiser residing on section 6, Harrisburg
Township, Van Bnren County, is a native
of Hardin County,' Ky. [He was born
January 14, 1827, and was the fifth in a familj' of
eight children, who graced the union of Henry
Morris and Jane Mark. The father was born in
North Carolina in 1790, and in his j'outh removed
from his native State to Kentucky, where he was
reared to manhood and married. He is" numbered
among the pioneer settlers of Van Buren County,
Iowa, tlie month of June, 1838, witnessing his ar-
rival in the community. He entered eighty acres
of wild land on Cedar Creek,'in what is now Cedar
Township, and afterward, by purchase, added one
hundred and sixty acres, placing the entire amount
under cultivation. As he obtained the first from
the Government it was consequently in its primi-
tive condition, but he succeeded in transforming it
into a highly improved farm, whose well-tilled
fields yielded him a good income as the reward of
his labors. His death occurred on the old home-
stead, February 8, 1870, at the age of sevent3'-four
years. For many years Mr. Morris had been an
active member of the Methodist Church and he
possessed the full confidence and high regard of his
many acquaintances. His wife, who was a most
estimable lady, survived him but eight days. The
children born unto them were: Elizabeth, wife of
I. L. V. Howard, of Cedar Township; Mary, de-
ceased vvife of William Masterson, of Van Buren
County; Margaret, deceased; William a carpenter,
of Ilustonia, Mo.; Samuel M., whose name heads
this sketch: George F., a farmer of Cedar Town-
sliip; Alex H. and Henry T., who are also engaged
in agriculiural pursuits in Cedar Township.

As a representative of one of the pioneer families
of tlie county and as one of its most worthy citi-

342

PORTRAIT AND BI0C4RAPHICAL ALBUM.

zens, Samuel Morris deserves special mention in
this volume. Since eleven years of age he has
been a witness of its growth and progress, has aided
in its development and watched with interest its
advancement and the work wiiich places it in the
front rank among the counties in Iowa. He ac-
quired his education in the district schools of the
neigliborhood and amid tiie wild scenes of pioneer
life with its excitements and pleasures, its hard-
ships and privations, be spent the days of iiis boy-
hood and youth. On attaining to mature years, he
bade good-b}' to the parental home and started out
in life for himself, choosing as his occupation the
the pursuit to which he was reared. He began
operations on a forty-acre tract of land given him
by his father, and in a short time he extended its
boundaries by the [(urcliase of forty acres of tim-
ber land. After clearing and improving tiie same
he had opportunity to make an advantageous sale
which he did. and then bought three hundred an<l
fifty-two acres of land lying in Washington and
Harrisburg Townships, bis present farm.

In 1854 Mr. Morris was united in marriage with
Miss Charlotte A. Robbins, of Van Buren County,
daughter of William C. and Laura (Fuller) Robbins.
Her father was a native of Vermont, born October
25, 1804, and in his native State jiassed bis youth-
ful days. He was married, however, in Allegany
County, N. Y., to Miss Laura Fuller, of the Empire
State, born December 27, 1812, l)y which union
there were born three children: Estlier,wifeof John
Klise, of Harrisburg Township; Mrs. Morris, and
Martha,who died when about four years old. The
parents are numbered among the pioneers of Van
Buren County'. having since 1844 made their home in
the neighborhood, where they have won as the result
of their upright lives the respect of all who knew
them. Tlie father's work here on earth is now
ended, lie having died September 20, 1890, and his
widow is passing the evening hour of life sur-
rounfled by the tender care of her children.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Morris have been born five
children: Edmund, who wedded Miss Mary Lefler
and is now living in Pierceville; J. Q., who mar-
ried Miss Alice Woods and resides on the home
farm ; Livingston ; Henry F..who died when sixteen
months old; and William W. Livingston and Will-

iam are yet with their p.irents. Mr. Mori'is is an
active Republican in politics and is an influential
member of the county conventions, to which
be is frequently sent as a delegate. As a citizen,
be is true to every duty devolving upon him
and ever ready to aid in works of public im-
provement or such enterprises as are calculated to
benefit the community. As a business man be is
undoubtedly a success, being now ranked among
the substantial farmers and stock-raisers of the
community. In the management of bis farm be
displaj'sgood business ability, enterprise and ))ush,
all of which are essential to a prosperous career.
His residence in Van Buren County covers a per-
iod of fifty-two years, and those who have known
him from boyhood have been witnesses of bis en-
tire life, as well as his acquaintances of later years,
are numbered among bis stancbest friends. Those
who have seen the development of tiis character
knov/ bira to be a man of sterling worth, meriting
the high esteem of all.

\¥? OHN CAVIN, deceased, was one of the early
settlers of Van Buren County, having in the
j'ear 1836 settled within her borders. He
was born in Prince Edward County, Va., in
1788, and during bis early manhood enlisted as a
soldier in the War of 1812. Soon after the close
of that struggle be went to Tennessee where be
married Miss Judab Maun, who was also a native
of the Old Dominion, born in 1790. The young
couple began their domestic life in Tennessee,
where they remained until 1834, iu which year they
ma.^e a location in McDonougb County, 111. Two
years later, however, they crossed the Father of
Waters and in the Territory^ of Wisconsin, as it
was then known, began making a home, their place
of location being in Harrisburg, Township, Van
Buren County. The Indians had not then left for
their homes further West, but were frequent visitors
in the settlement and rattlesnakes were often un-
welcomed companions. The country round about

THENF

ASTOR. LENOX

..w^"

,.,J^^:^£?m'

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

345

abfwnfled in wild game, wolves and other animals
were killed in the vicinity of the settlement and
hardships of whicii we know nothing were to be
borne.

Eight children were born unto Mr. an<l Mrs.
Cavin — Irena who became the wife of Manswit
LcfBer, settled iu this county and died in 1881 ;
Lucinda, widow of Harry Alexander, is living in
Van Buren County; Andrew J. died during tlie
service while in the Mexican War; Margaret A.
is now Mrs. Sturdivant of Bonaparte; iNIelvina
married James Harrington of California; John
is living in Mahaska County, Iowa; Julinda be-
came the wife of William Saddler and died in
Van Buren County; and Matilda is the wife of
Moses Smith, of the same county.

Mr. Cavin was one of the sturdy pioneers of
this region and will be remembered by manj' of
the early settlers. He developed a farm and
made for himself a comfortable home but nine
years after his arrival in the community he was
called to the home above. His wife survived
bini iintil 1861. Both were members of the Bap-
tist Church and earnest workers in tiie Master's
vineyard.

-J^pj

BRAHAM STANFORD, a retired farmer
@/L1I and respected citizen of Fairfield, Jeffer-
son County, claims Pennsylvania as the
.^g^ State of his nativity, his birth having oc-

curred in Allegheny County, June 17, 1815. Isaac
Stanford, his father, emigrated with his family to
Delaware Countj'. Ohio, about 1817, becoming one
of the early settlers of that region, but within a
few days both parents and two children died. Our
subject was then about three years of age. Four
children lived to mature j'ears, but only two still
survive: Abraham and his brother David, who has
been a carpenter, merchant, and farmer.

Little advantage did our subject receive in his
youth, but hard labor fell to his lot, and in return he
reaped little or no reward. Probably, hovvever, this
was the means of developing a self-reliance and en-

ergy whicli have characterized his mature years,
and been important factors in his success. On the
death of his parents, he was bound out to a farmer
for whom he worked until attaining his majority,
when he started out in life for himself without a
cent which he could call his own. He secured a
position as a farm hand at $10 per month, and la-
bored on in that way until coming to Iowa. Be-
lieving that he could better his condition in the
West, in 1839, he floated down the Ohio and up
the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Peoria, whence
he made his waj- through Henry County to Cedar
Township, Jefferson County. The land in that
townshi|) had just come into market, and on his re-
turn trip Mr. Stanford stopped at Burlington, and
entered one hundred and twenty acres of the same.
The following winter he was engaged in si)litting
rails in Illinois. For some time he was undecided
whether to return to Oliio or remain in the West,
but having entered his land in Iowa, he at length
determined to come to this State, and acted upon
his resolution in February, 18-40. Notan improve-
ment had been made, and while a cabin was in pro-
cess of erection, he boarded with Joel Bradshaw.
He spent the day in superintending the work, but
in the evening devoted himself to the enjoyment of
the society of Mr. Bradshaw's daughter, Miss
Nanej'. The acquaintance proving mutually agree-
able and ripening into a warmer regard, they were
married on the 9th of February, 1841. The lady
was born in White County, Tenn., March 19, 1825,
and when eight years of age, accompanied her par-
ents to Illinois, whence they removed to Jefferson
County in 1838.

Mr. Stanford and his wife began their domestic
life on the farm which he had entered, and in-
creased their possessions by ths purchase of an ad-
ditional forty acres. At length having sold, he
bought a claim four miles east of Fairfield, of one
hundred and twent}' acres which he entered, fenced
and improved. He also sold this farm, after which
he started West, but a few days travel sufliced to
convince him that he preferred Jefferson County to
any other locality as a place of residence, and he
returned and purchased a claim of one hundred and
thirty-five acres in Liberty Township. Tnis he
also entered and improved, and later traded for a

346

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

farm of one hundred and ten acres in Cedar Town-
ship, upon which he lived until lie retired from ac-
tive business life, and removed to Fairfield in 1882.
He still owns ninety-six acres of valuable land
which yields him a ^ood income.

The union of Mr. anil Mrs. Stanford was blessed
with a family of eight children: Isaac F., the eld-
est, enlisted in October, 1863, as a member of Com-
pany B, Nineteenth Iowa Infantry, and was wounded
at the battle of Prairie Grove, Ark. However, he
recovered from his injury, hut while on the way to
join his regiment at Brownsville, Tex., he took the
measles and was consequently off duty for some
time. Again he started to join his comrades, but
having to march some thirty miles through raud
and rain, when not yet entirely recovered, be took
a backset and died in Brownsville ; JoelJ., the next
younger, is a farmer of Nebraska; Chloe S. is the
wife of Samuel Doughty, a Free Methodist preacher;
Mary O. is the wife of Haden Doughty, a farmer of
Lockridge Township; Vesta A. is the wife of David
Boley, of Locust Grove Township; Ella K. is the
wife of George Moore, a farmer of Nebraska; John
F. is a farmer of Locust Grove Township; Abra-
ham L. is a cabinet-maker of Fairfield.

Mr. Stanford has held the office of Township
Assessor, and several school offices. He cast his
first Presidential vote for Gen. William Henry Har-
rison, and continued to support the Whig party
until 1856, since which time he has been a stanch
Republican. He has done not a little to develop
the county by improving farms, and has ever been
a loyal citizen. Both he and his wife are members
of the Methodist Church, of Fairfield.

-^-^-^-

/?^ RAN MORE W. GAGE, the oldest early
(I settler of F\airfield now living, is a native of

^^^J the Green Mountain State. He was born
in Hartford, Vt., on the 29lh of May, 1828, and
is a son of Ebenezer S. and Electa (Wallace) Gage.
His father was born May 5, 1803, in Bangor, Me.,
and wiien six years of age went to live with an

uncle, his father having been drowned. In early
life he went to Vermont and learned the shoe mak-
er's trade, which he there followed for five years
and afterwards engaged in the same line of business
in Ac worth, N. H. On the 30th of May, 1827, be
married Jliss Wallace, who was born in New
Hampshire, February 2, 1807. In 1838, they re-
moved to Alton, li!., where for a short time Mr.
Gage was eng.aged as a superintendent in purchas-
ing sup|)lies for a seminary near that place, but in
December, 1839, he brought a stock of dry goods
to Fairfield and began operations merchandizing
in this city. The following year, while on his way
to St. Louis to buy goods, ho was robbed of 1600
which crippled him in business and he turned his
attention to other interests, purchasing a claim of
one hundred and sixty acres on which his son now
lives and thirty of which is now included within
the city limits. He w.as a man of good education
and did much toward the settling up of the State.
He served as Deputy Count3' Treasurer of Jeffer-
son County and from 1844 until 1848 was Post-
master of Fairfield. In political sentiment he was
a su|)porter of the Democratic party and socially
was a member of the Masonic fraternity. He took
a deep interest in all public enterprises, gave liber-
ally toward the support of such interests as he
believed would benefit the commuuit}', and was re-
garded by all as a worthy citizen. Both he and his
wife were members of the Congregational Church.
His death occurred May 29, 1859, and bis wife
still survives him and yet enjoys a tolerable degree
of health. There were only two children of the
family — Theodore S. who was born in Fairfield,
August 30, 1844, and Cranmore W.

Since eleven years of age our subject has been a
resident of Jefiierson County, and when a lad of
fourteen years he took charge of the farm which
his father had entered and which he has operated
continuously since. At the age of sixteen, in com-
pany with others, he took a number of horses to
Des Moines and sold them to the Inlians. The
now beautiful capital city was then a mere collec-
tion of soldier's cabins and gave no promise of be-
coming of much importance. Mr. Gage is account-
ed a first class farmer and stock-raiser as can be
seen from a glance at his place. Everything is in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

347

excellent order and the entire surroundings indicate
thrift and enterprise. In his business he is as-
sociated with his brother and togetlier thej' own
one hundred and fifteen acres of highly improved
land which is well stocked and furnished with
every thing necessary to a model farm.

In Jefferson Countj', Mr. Gage was joined in
wedlock with Sarah J. Black, tiie marriage cere-
mony being performed on the 12th of September,
1855. The lady was born in Adams County, Ohio,
November 6, 1828, and is a daughter of Moses and
Nancy (Glasgow) Black, who were also natives of
Adams County, and of the old Covenanter stock.
In 1841, tliey removed to Brown County, 111., :uid
in 1844 to Jefferson County, Iowa, locating in l)es
Moines Township. Mr. Black was the first County
Judge of this county and in politics he was first a
Whig, afterwards an Abolitionist and later a Re-
publican, lie died in 1867, at the age of sixty-six
years, and his wife, who was born in 1809, died in
1 883. Both were members of the Presbyterian
Church and lived consistent Christian lives. In
their family were six children, three sons and three
daughters, of whom Mrs. Gage is the eldest. Mr.
and Mrs. Gage are parents of four children — Frank
S. who is employed as station agent at Beard, Tex.;
Edward M., a luniljer dealer of Chicago; Fred W.,
a lumber dealer of Hiawatha, Kan.; and Charles
II., who is engaged in the dairy business in Fair-
field.

Both Mr. Gage and his wife are members of the
Congregational Church, and in the social world are
held in high regard. He has served as Marshal,
Vice President and is now President of the Old
Settlers Ass(jciation. His residence in this county
covers more than half a centurj' and embraces
seven years of territorial rule as well as the entire
State government. He has seen the county trans-
formed from a vast and unbroken prairie, inhabited
nioslly b}' red men, into homes of a civilized people,
whose farms are equal in fertility and improvement
to any and whose towns are characterized by an
energy and enterprise unknown to the older
cities of the East. Mr. Gage has shared in
the hardships and trials of pioneer life, but time
and industry have overcome those difficulties and
he now ranks among the substantial citizens of the

community. In the early days they had to live
principally upon corn bread and wild game which
was then plentiful, and had to go thirty miles to
mill.

In political sentiment Mr. Gage is a Republican,
and though he has always felt a lively interest in
the success of that party he has never aspired to
any public office. In agriculture lie has always
taken deep interest and served four years as a
director of the County Agricultural Association,
and for three years was superintendent of the
giounds when important improvements were made.

^.^ ON. WILLIAM LEROY S. SIMMONS,
who is extensively engaged in stock-raising
on section 12, Locust Grove Township,
Jefferson County, first set foot on Iowa soil
in 1842, at which lime he made a settlement in the
township of which he is now a resident. However,
he did not make a permanent location until 185.3.
A native of Clermont County, Ohio, he was born
in 1822, the fourth child in a family of five chil-
dren that graced the union of Adam and Sarah
(Hitch) Simmoiis. Throughout his entire life
Adam Simmons followed farming, and in Ohio
his death occurred in 1828. His wife long
survived him, dying in 1875. The}' were pioneers
of the Buckeye State, and lived upright lives
which won them the respect of the entire commu-
nity.

W. L. S. Simmons was but six years of age when
his father died. He continued to make his home
upon the farm, but in his youth learned the brick-
mason's trade, which he followed during his resi-
dence in Ohio, and for a short time after coming to
Jefferson County. With a desire to benefit his
financial condition and to provide for himself a
home, he came West. In 1845 he pi-e-empted
eighty acres of land on section 3, Locust Grove
Township, and began developing a farm, but after-
ward traded that for a sixty-acre tract on section

348

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

12. With land upon which not a furrow had been
turned or an improvement made, lie found that he
had no easy task before him. but of a determined
nature and possessing unremitting industrj', he
would not be deterred from liis purpose, but over-
came the obstacles in his path and worked his way
upward to a position of offlucnce.

Returning to his native county in 18r^2, Mr.
.Simmons w.as joined in wedlock with Miss Sarah
Weaver, who was born in Ohio, and is a daughter
of Samuel and Catherine (Robinson) Weaver. Her
parents were natives of Virginia, but at an early
day emigrated to Ohio, where they spent the re-
mainder of their lives. Mr. Weaver was called to
his final rest in 1863, having survived his wife sev-
eral years.

In true pioneer style, on a farm but little im-
proved, Mr. and Mrs. Simmons began their domes-
tic life, and by their united efforts have secured a
comfortable home, in which may be found not only
the necessaries, but many of the luxuries known to
this age. Their union was blessed with seven
children, but only four of the number are now liv-
ing: Eben Fraijk, the eldest, is an attorney-at-law
of Fairfield, Iowa; Charles Walter acquired his
literary education in the schools of Mt. Pleasant,
being graduated from the academy of that place,
and then began fitting himself for labor in foreign
missionary fields. He was graduated from the
Garrett Biblical Institute, of Evanston,Ill., in 1888,
and the same year married Miss Luella Eartlett, of
Mt. Pleasant, and started for India, where he has
since been engaged in missionary labor, being sent
to that field by the Methodist C'hurch. Owing to
failing health he returned to Iowa, and is now at
home. Sarah Belle and Nq,ncy Wright, the two
daughters of the family, are still with their par-
ents.

Mr. Simmons may truly be called a self-made
man. The farm which he now owns and operates
embraces two hundred and twenty-seven acres, all
under a good state of cultivation, and he also has
considerable money invested in fine stock. He is
making a specialty of the breeding of full-blooded
Short-horn cattle and Poland China hogs, and has
done not a little for the advancement of the grade
of stock in the county. In other ways he has also

been identified with the county's interests. Every
enterprise of merit finds in him a supporter; he is
a friend to all social, educational and moral inter-
ests, and is a generous contributor of charitable and
benevolent work. He and his wife are consistent
memb'^rs of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of
Brookville, and their upright lives, which are in
harmony with their professions, win for them the
confidence and regard of the community. Mr. Sim-
mons has served on the School Board, has been
Township Clerk, and in 1876 ably represented his
district in the loiva Legislature. Socially, he is a
member of Abingdon Lodge, No. 104, A. F. &
A. M. As an early settler of the county he bore
all the hardships and trials of pioneer life, but may
well feel honored that he had a jiart to pi^rform in
the work of progress and development which
places Jefferson County in its present exalted posi-
tion of to-day. When he settled in this community
Fairfield was only a small trading post, and Keokuk
and Burlington were the nearest markets. Wild
game, which was then very plentiful, furnished
many a meal for the settlers. The Indians were
still frequent visitors, and much of the land was
was still unclaimed. The traveler of to-day can
scarcely realize that in less than a half a (cntury
all this change has been brought about, and the
pioneers, who wrought the transformation, certainly
deserve unlimited commendation.

In early life Mr. Simmons was a Whig, and on
the formation of the Republican party he joined
it, and has since been a supporter of its principles.

^ IfrlLLIAM F. DOWNING, who carries on
\/iJi farming on section 16, Buchanan Town-
V^^ ship, is a representative of one of the pio-
neer families of Jefferson County. His father,
Anthony Downing, a native of Berkeley County,
Va., was born August 12. 1818, and when a young
man and poor made his wsiy to the Territory of
Iowa, locating in Jefferson County- in 1839. He
made a claim, which was transformed into the farm

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

349

upon which our subject now lives, aud on wliic'u he
renaained until his deatli. In his early life he en-
gaged in teaming, but after his removal to the
West devoted his time and energies to agricultural
pursuits and the raising of stock. His first home
in the county was a rude log cabin, but as his finan-
cial resources were increased he built a brick
house, which later was replaced by the commodi-
ous residence now upon the old homestead. When
the gold excitement of California was at its height,
he made a trip to the Pacific Coast, where he re-
mained, engaged in mining, for five years. His ef-
forts as a farmer and stock-raiser were crowned
with success, and although he was in very limited
circumstances when he came to the county he be-
came one of her substantial citizens. Mr. Downing
was twice married. By his first wife, whose maiden
name was Rachel Keltner, he had four children.
For his second wife he married Miss Harriet C.
Wagner, who was born in Morgan County, Va.,
August 19, 1824, and was a daughter of Jacob
and Elizabeth (Sapp) Wagner, also natives of
Virginia, where they married and spent their entire
lives. They were the parents of seven ciiildren,
three of whom are yet living — Mrs. S. Downing,
Mrs. Abram Bush and Mrs. Anthony Downing.
The mother died at the age of forty-five years, but
the father reached the advanced age of eighty-four
years and was a second time married. He was a
tanner by trade.

Our subject was one of a family numbering but
two children, aud his brother, Ulysses W., died at
the age of fourteen years; William V., the elder of
the two, was born on the farm which is still his
home, on the 8th of May, 1861. His school |)rivi-
leges were very limited owing to the sickness of
his father, which necessitated his remaining at
home to care for the farm and since the death of
his father, which occurred when he was eighteen
years ot age, he has had the entire management of
affairs. By his neighbors and friends he in regarded
as one of the leading young business, men of the
community, for he displays much ability and
thoughlfulntss and energy in the discharge of the
duties connected with his home life. He now super-
intends the cultivation of a fine farm of three hun-
dred and twenty acres, which is well furnished with

good improvements and everything necessary to
the model farm of the nineteenth century.

On the 6th of February, 1889, Mr. Downing was
united in marriage with Miss Clarinda M. Hupp,
who was born in Virginia, November 14, 1865. She
died after a short but happy wedded life of little
more than a year's duration, leaving an infant
daughter who bears her name.

In political sentiment Mr. Downing is a sup-
porter of Republican prlncii)k'S. As ever}^ true
American citizen should do, he feels an interest in
political affairs and keeps himself well informed
concerning the issues of the day. His entire life
has been spent upon the Downing homestead and
the fact that those who have known him since his
bo3iiood days are numbered among his warmest
friends, speaks well for him as an ui)right citizen
and man of sterling worth. The family have been
residents of the county for more than half a cen-
tury and the honored father of our subject was one
of its representative citizens and is numbered
among the respected pioneers. He will be remem-
bered by many of our readers and is well worthy
of mention in the history of his adopted county,
in whose growth and prosperity he ever felt a just
pride.

GEORGE H. SPENCER, who resides on sec-
,-^-^ tion 8, Penn Township, is numbered among
QA\ the honored i)ioncers of Jefferson County.
where he has made his home since 1839. Great
indeed have been the changes which have taken
place since that time, and it may v/ell be esteemed
an honor to have been a witness of the transforma-
tion, but to have been identified with the work as
long as Mr. Spencer has been, is a privUege of which
but few can boast. The countj' owes to its early
settlers a debt of gratitude which can never be
fully repaid, but we can cherish their memory in
our hearts while we perpetuate their lives by written
record .

The worthy gentleman whose name heads this
sketch was born in Niagara County, N. Y., March

350

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

30, 1830, and is a sun of George and Catherine
(Elorton) Sponc-er. His father was a native of Hart-
ford, Conn., born September 29, 1793. Being left
an orphan at a tender age, he was bound out to a
blacksmith, with whom he worked until attaining
iiis majority. Hitherto he had received no educa-
tional advantages, and now he determined to at
least acquaint himself with the common branches.
This he did, and afterward devoted himself to ac-
quiring a competence. He purchased one hundred
acres of land in New York, turned his attention to
farming, and procured for himself a helpmate in
the person of Miss Catlierine Horton, whom lie
married on the 14th of October, 1823. The lady
was a native of Wayne County, N. Y. .Some seven
years later tliey removed to the Territory of
Miciiigan, where Mr. S|)encer opened up a new
farm, and in 1839 became residents of Penn Town-
ship, Jefferson County, Iowa, where he made a
claim of two hundred and forty acres of Govern-
ment land. Again, with cliaracteristic entrgy, he
began transforming the wild land into fields whose
fruitfulness would provide for his wants, and liad
made a comfortable home before his death, whicli
oecurred on the 9th of .September, 1862. His first
wife had died January' 16, 1829, and two years later
lie married Polly Gillett, wlio survived him some
twenty-two years. She was born in 1803, and died
at the advanced age of eighty-two. By the first
marriage were born four children, but our subject,
who was the youngest, is the only one now living.
The others were: DeWitt, C^'nthia Ann and Mary
J. The children of the second marriage are: Elaph-
ilet, of Penn Township; and Cynthia J., now Mrs.
Coop, of the same township.

For years Mr. Spencer was a member of the Bap-
tist Church, and one of its most active members.
He was liberal with his means in support of the
Gospel, and his religion formed a part of his every-
day life, prompting him to deeds of kindness and
acts of charity. His heart and hand were in the
work, and whatever he could do to aid in its ad-
vancement he cheerfully performed. In his early
life he was a Whig and a stanch Abolitionist, and
was one of the first four to vote for the Abolition
party in his township. He then became a Frec-
Soiler, and when the Republican party was formed

to prevent the further extension of slavery at once
espoused its cause. However, he did not live to
see the curse banished from the land. As a citizen
he was faithful to every duty, and his name is in-
separably connected with the progress of the county.
He helped to lay out the city of Fairfield in 1839,
and in the years which followed prior to his death
was ever found in the forrmost ranks in any enter-
l)rise calculated to benefit the community.

Our subject was a lad of eight years when he ac-
companied his parents on their removal from the
Empire State to Joliet, III. He came with them to
Jefferson County in 1839, and in the pioneer
schools of that da}' acquired a limited education,
but he has become a well-informed man by reading,
experience and observation. The hardships and
privations incident to pioneer life fell to his lot in
boyhood. He has to assist in the arduous labor of
developing a farm, and has felt the pangs of hun-
ger, for it was oftentimes difficult to procure bread
stuffs, and frequently the crops were insufficient for
the needs of the family. He remained at home
until tw('nty-nine years of age, when he began life
for himself in the occupation to which he was reared.
His first purchase of lanil consisted of a forty-acre
tract, upon which he made his home for eleven
years, when he removed to his present place of
residence. A log house and small barn constituted
the improvements at that time, but a nieasant frame
residence has since been erected, while eighty acres
of highly cultivated land pay to him a golden
tribute.

On the 14th of October, 1857, Mr. Spencer was
united in marriage with Miss Diana Thomas, who
was born March 12, 1828, in Ontario County,
N. Y. The wediling was celebrated in Richland
County, Ohio, and eight children graced their
union — Mary Anna, born May 6, 1859, died on the
1st of September of that year; Theodosia, born
November 14, 1860, is at home; Arloa, born Sep-
tember 21, 1862, died August 30, 1863; William
A., born February 9, 1864, died September 20,
1865; Charles B., born September 30, 1865, mar-
ried Ina J. Hurd, by whom he has one child, and is
engaged in farming in Penn Township; Louisa,
born February 8, 1867, is successfully engfged in
teaching school; Silvester M., born January 16,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

351

1869, died March 15, 1871; Loehiel T.. born Au-
gust 18, 1871, died March 29, 188C. The cliildren
have been provided with good educational advan-
tages, and two of the number have been students
of the Pleasant Plain Academy. Mr. Spencer, his
wife and children, are all members of the Howard
Grove Baptist Ciiurch. in which he holds the ollice
of Deacon. He has also been a licensed preacher
for fourteen years, and is one of the most faithful
and earnest workers of his home congregation.

In politics, he is a stanch Republican, and an
ardent Prohibitionist. By his vote and voice he
supported the amendment, and in every way possi-
ble he aids in the promotion of the temi)erance sen-
timent among the people. He is widely known
throughoul tlie county, and the high regard in
wideh he is held is justly merited by his Christian
character.

YRUS N. FOLKKR. who resides on section
9. Farmington Towushii), is one of the
substantial farmers and extensive land-own-
ers of Van Buren County and is also a representative
of one of tlie honored pioneer families of the coun-
ty. Years have come and gone until more than
half a century has passed since George W. Folker.
his father, accomiianied by wife and children, m.nde
a settlement in this community which then formed
a part of the Teriitory of Wisconsin. In that
period of time great changes have taken pl.ace, the
work of progress and civilization has been carried
forward and wonderful transformation has been
wrought, much of which bears u[)on it the impress
of the enterprise and ceaseless activity of the
Folkers.

Our subject was but a babe when he came to the
county. He was born in Perry County, Pa.,
January 26, 1836, and in 1838 was brought to
Iowa l>y his parents, George W. and Elizabeth
(Huggins) Folker, who were also natives of the
Keystone State. His father was a mecha.iic by
trade but for a number of years followed the hatter's

trade in I'ennsylvania and after his emigration to
Van Buren County, Iowa, in the autumn of 183iS,
he engaged in farming. Entering one hundred
and forty acres of land from the Government he
cleared, developed and improved the same, making
a good farm, upon which he lived until his death
in 18.51. Ills wife survived him a number of
years, dying in 1874. Unto that worthy couple
were born nine children and the family circle is
yet unbroken. In order of birth they areas follows:
.foliu II., a retired farmer, of Lamar, Mo.; Charles,
a retired farmer, of ^Memphis, Mo.; Catherine, wife
of C. Blatterman, of Clarke County, Mo.; William,
a stock raiser, of Acasto, Mo.; George W., a money
loaner, of Farmington; Ambrose who is engaged in
farming and stock raising in Clarke County, Mo.;
Cyrus N., the subject of this sketch; Joseph R.,
who is also an agriculturalist, of Clarke County,
Mo.; and Mary, now Mrs. Huggins, of Lamar, Mo.
The educational opportunities afforded in a new
settlement are not very great and as Cyrus Folker
was leared among the wild scenes of Van Buren
Countj', his scholastic training was necessarily
limited. His father died when he w.as a lad of
fifteen years and he remained at home assisting his
mother until twenty-six years of .age, when, in
18.59, he made a trip into Colorado. However, he
soon returned and continued farming O|)erations in
Xnn Buren County until 1864, when he went to
Idaho, where he was successfully engaged in min-
ing for three years. Having acquired some wealth,
in 1867, he returned to this county and made
investments in real estate here. In the spring of
1870, he purchased the farm which has been bis
home continuously since. At that time it comprised
aliout three hundred acres of but partially improveil
land but the boundaries have since been extended
until six hundred acres in one body p.ay tribute to
his care and cultivation, while another forty acres
yields him support. Those who are acquainted
with Rlr. Folker and know something of his
characteristics and the habits of his life, need not
to be told that everj' thing about his home is kept
in first-class order. The farm is divided into
fields of convenient size by good fences, useful and
ornamental improvements have been made, the
latest farm machinery has been purch.ased and the

352

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

best grades of stock have been introduced. In fact
to the latter branch of his business he devotes
much attention and is accounted one of the leading
stock- raisers of the county.

In 1870, Mr. Folker was united in marriage with
Miss Sarah A. Perry, of Clarke Counly, Mo., daugh-
ter of Gideon and Mary (Humphrey) Perry, who,
like their daughter, are natives of Illinois. Six
children have been born of this union, namely :
Mary E.. wife of Noah Boyer, of Farmington; Lla
A., wife of Herden Boyer who is engaged in
agricultural pursuits in Farmington Township ;
Lula D., Stella M., lirvin A. and Charles E.

Mr. Folker is a member of the United Brethren
Cliur:;h and his wife belongs to the Methodist
Church, and in politics, he is a Democrat. He has
ever been a supporter of churches and other
laudable enterprises, feeling a deep interest in any
thing that pertains to the welfare of the county
whicli has so long been his home. From his boy-
hood he has been identified with its agricultural
interests and in many other ways has aided, in its
development and improvement. The county is
dear to him for the man}' pleasant associations con-
nected with it concerning his boyhood and youth ;
for the friendships he has here formed in later
years and for the pleasant home which it has
afforded him. It has also witnessed the greater
part of his business undertakings and has seen the
progress which he has made, advancing from a
position of comparative humbleness to one of first
rank, in which he is surrounded by wealth and all
the comforts which go to make life worth the living.

j;ILLIAM B. KERR is engaged in carpen-
tering in Bonaparte, Iowa, and is doing a
good business in that line, which results
from his efiiciency and the prompt and faithfid
manner in which he keeps all contracts.

Mr. Kerr is a native of Pennsylvania. He was
born in Armstrong County, on the 20th of Decem-
ber, 1813, was a son of Robert Kerr, a native of

New York, and a grandson of William Kerr, wiio
was born in Ireland, but in the eighteenth century
left his native land, crossing the Atlantic to Amer-
ica. Our subject is therefore of Irish extraction.
He acquired his education in the subscription
schools of his native county common at that day.
and as the age of seventeen years was a|)prenticed
for a term of three and a half years to the trade of
a carpenter and joiner, receiving $3 per month and
board. However, at the expiration of three years
he had mastered the business and was released from
the contract, after which he was employed by one
of the firm at -152.50 per day. After following his
chosen occupation for a number of years in the
East, he determined to try his fortune beyond the
Mississippi, and chose the Territory of Iowa as the
scene of his future labors. He built a keel boat,loaded
it with all his worldly possessions, attached the
same to a raft, and in 1843 floated down the Ohio
River from Pittsburg, Pa., to Louisville, Ky., where
he found that further progress was impossible on
account of the river being blocked with ice. De-
terred from his purpose of making the joai ney by
water, he then sold liis keel boat and boarded a
steamer, on which he siiled to Nauvoo, 111., where
he spent the remainder of the winter. The f<jl-
lowing spring he carried out his original idea of
coming to Iowa, and made a location in Bonaparte,
where he has since continued to reside. A carpen-
ter by trade and an expert workman, his services
were in constant demand, for emigrants at that
time were pouring rapidly into the county, and
he w.as called upon to erect many homes for the
early settlers.

Mr. Kerr has been twice married. Ere leavino-
the State of his nativity he was joined in wedlock
with Miss Susie Johnson, by whom he had five
children, three yet living, namely: Hiram, William
and John. He was called upon to mourn the loss
of his wife not many years after they had become
residents of Van Buren County, her death occur-
ring in 1851. His second union was with Miss
Cynthia Robb, and that marriage w.as also blessed
with three children yet living — Robert, Harry and
Fred.

In politics, Mr. Kerr is a stanch supporter of the
Democracy, and feels a deep interest in the success

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

353

of that party. He cast his first I'ri sidciiUal vote
for Andrew Jackson, of whom lie was a greiit ail-
niirer. He keeps himself well informed on all
topics of general interest, whether political or
otherwise, and is a representative citizen who is
ever willing to aid in the advancement of enter-
prises ealcnlaled to nphuild the community in
which he lives. Many of his characteristics arc
such as to win him high regard, and liy the people
among whom he has spent some lortj'-six 3'ears he
is greatly respected. Mrs. Kerr, who was a most
estimable lady and whose friends were almost innu-
merable, died in 1885.

OHN II. ESHLEMAN is a leading citizen
of Des Moines Township, Jefferson County,
residing on section 3, where he is engaged in
farming. Pennsylvania is the State of his
nativity, and his birth occurred in Bedford County,
in 1833. He was the second in a family of five
children, whose parents, Samuel and Susan (Hoo-
ver) Eslileman, were natives of Lancaster County,
Pa. Their marriage was there celebrated, after
which Mr. Eshleman engaged in farming in con-
nection witli work at his trade as a stonemason.
With the hope of providina- a better home for his
family, in 1847, accompanied by wife and children,
he emigrated to the new State of Iowa, and the
same year purchased eighty acres Of land, the farm
upon which our subject now resides. Three log cab-
ins had been built thereon, which constituted almost
the entire improvements. .He was a man of energ}-
and ability, not afraid of work, and in consequence
soon had a good home. He continued to reside in
Jefferson County until his death, which occurred
in February, 1879. A respected citizen, the en-
tire community mourne<l his loss and shared in the
deep grief of the family-. His wife, who was a
worthy helpmate to him, crossed over the dark
river in 1873. Of their family four are yet living,
namely: J. H., of this sketch; Susan, now Mrs.
Ebe, who resides m California; Martin, a resident

farmer of Des Moines Township; Eliza, now Mre.
Teeter, of the same township.

The first fourteen years of his life our subject
spent in Bedford County, Pa., where he acquired a
good common-school education. Accompanying
his parents to Iowa in 1847, he was inured to hard
lai)or in aiding in the development of a farm, but
his boyhood expeiience proved profitable to him in
that he developed a self-reliance and knowledge of
the work, wliich have been important fautors in his
success in after life. Throughout his business ca-
reer he has carried on farming and to a consider-
ble extent has also engaged in freighting.

In 1858, in Jefferson County, Mr. Eshleman
was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Garber,
who was born in Pennsylvania, and is a daughter
of John and Sarah (Albaugh) Garber. who were
also natives of the Keystone State. The year 1843
witnessed the arrival of that family in Libei'ty
Townshi[), Jefferson County, Iowa, but the parents
are both now deceased. Mr. Garber died in 1859,
and his wife some twenty years later. Unto Mr.
and Mrs. Eshleman were born four children yet
living: Mary, now Mrs. McCartne}' of Locust
Grove Township; Jane, at home; Ann, now Mrs.
Kinney, of AVapello County, and Samuel, at home.
The mother was called to her final rest in 1887, and
in April, 1889. in Jefferson County, Mr. Eshleman
wedded Mary Elmaker, a native of Pennsylvania,
whose parents were Jacob and Catherine Elmaker.
Her family came to Jefferson County in 1838, mak-
ing a location in Des Moines Township, but Ixith
husband and wife are now deceased.

Since his first mariiage Mr. Eshleman has resided
upon one farm. He is numbered among the pio-
neers of the county, having for forty-three years
made his home within its borders. The hardships
and trials of pioneer life are not unknown to him.
and in the difficulty of developing wild land he is
not unversed. The main trading points in that
early day were Keokuk and Ft. Madison, and as
the roads were bad, it was often difficult to make
the trip, especially in the spring time, but all this
has since passed and only the memories remain,
together with the honor which is justly given to
those who bore the ardun is task of laying the
foundation for the present prosperity of the county-

354

PORTRAIT AND BIOOtRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Mr. Eslileman always did his part. He is now
ranked among the representative citizens of the
count}- and among its progressive farmers. His
possessions embrace ninet3'-three acres in Des
Moines Township, and fourteen acres in Locust
Grove Township, all of which is well improved and
provided with good buildings. In politics, he is a
Republican, and has served as Supervisor of his
township for two terms. He was also a member of
the School Board, and both he and his wife are
members of the German ]5aptist C'iuircli.

HARLES McGUIRE, a gentleman of Irish
descent, engaged in farming on section 3,
^^^^ Loclcridge Township, Jefferson County, is
numbered among the pioneer settlers of Iowa of
1839, and for fort3'-three years he has made his
home in this vicinity. Born on the I2th of Aug-
ust, 1817, in Butler County, Ohio, he gr.aced the
union of Michael McGuire and Elizabeth Hinesley.
The McGuire family was founded in America by
the great-grandfather of our subject at a compara-
tively early daj' in the history of the colonies.
Mioliael JIcGuira was born in North Carolina, and
reared to manhood upon a farm. After his mar-
riage, which was celebrateil in his native Slate,
where the lady of his choice was also born, he re-
moved to Ohio and the home was there gladdened
by the presence of six children. He developed a farm
from raw land in the Buckeye State and gained
a livelihood therefrom for twenty years,after which
he sold out and removed to Randolph County, Ind.,
locating near Winchester, where he spent the re-
mainder of his life. He closed his eyes in death
in 1828. and his loss was mourned l)y the entire
community. His good wife survived him some
eighteen years and died at the home of her son
Charles in Iowa, in 184G. The children born unto
Mr. and Mrs. J\Ic(Juire in Ohio were: Samuel, who
died in Indiana; Thomas, whose death occurred in
Missouri; Sarah, who became the wife of George
Driver, and died near Rome, Iowa; Charles, of this

sketch; Nancy, wife of Joseph Hinesley, of Indiana,
and Mar}', wife of Alvin Chatterton,of IMcPherson,
Kan. In Indiana, the family circle was increased
by tlic liirth of a daughter, Elizabeth, who is now
the wife of Andrew Cloyd of North Manchester,
Ind.

In the manner nsnal to farmer lads Charles Mc-
Guire spent his boyhood days and during three
months in the year — the winter season, he was per-
mitted to attend the subscription schools, which was
the only scholastic training he received. His father
dying when he was quite 3'oung, to a great extend
he was tlironn upon his own resources and to pro-
vide for his maintenance he learned the tanner's
trade. At the age of sixteen he began working as a
farm hand and continued to serve jn that capacity
until 1839. when following Horace Greeley's advice
he left his old home for the West, locating in what
is now the city of Burlington, then a mere hamlet on
the bank of the Mississippi. The succeeding autumn
he removed to Rome, Henry County, which contin-
ued to be his place of residence until 1847, when
he came to his present farm. Onl}- do the i)ionecrs
know of the hardships and privations borne by the
frontier settlers. Means of communication with the
outside world were very inefficient, traveling was
difficult in those days and they thus were forced
to struggle along, unaided save by the assistance
Ihey rendered one another. Again, tlie work of
developing and Improving a farm from the raw
prairie was no easy task and Mr. McGuire suffered
the added difficulty of poor health for about three
years after his arrival in Iowa. He is now the
owner of a good farm, liul in 1847, when he made
a purchase of one hundred and ninety-four acres,
there was but little resemblance between that tract
and his home of to-day. A little cabin constituted
the improvements, but with characteristic energy
the work of development was carried forward and
in due time the boundaries of the farm were ex-
tended until it embraced forty additional acres.
We find the Indians frequently visiting the settle-
ment in that early period which witnessed the ar-
rival of Mr. McGuire in the county, and wild game
of all kinds was plentiful, but it has now become
an honor to be numbered among the pioneers and
he can forsjet the difficulties and trials which he en-

PORTRAIT AND BIOORAPHICAL ALBUM.

355

countered in tlie pleasuie of knowing that he has
had a hand in i)rodiieing the [iresent prosperity
which eharaclorizes Southeastern Iowa.

On the 9th of July. 1846, Mr. McGuire was
united in tlie lioly bonds of matrimony with Miss
Margaret Ross, daugliter of Sullivan Sutherland
and Mary Ann (.luukin) Ross, botli of whom were
natives of Kentueky, whence they removed to In-
diana. Htr father was reared in Lexington, Ky.,
and at the age of twenty-one removed to Indiana,
where he entered land and on the 10th of .Tuly,
1823, in Rush County, married Miss Junkin. They
removed to Missouri in 1831, and later became
residents of tiuincy. 111., where the death of Mrs.
Ross occurred. The family afterwards settled on
the bank of the Mississippi, just opposite Ft. Jlad-
ison, Iowa, and in 1834, became residents of the
city of Burlington. Four years later we find them
residing on a farm near Lockridge, where Mr. Ross
built and operated a mill. The gold excitement drew
him to California in 1851, but two years later he
returned to Iowa, and settled near Rome, Henry
(AHuity, whence they remeved to Eddyville, Wap-
ello County, where he died in 1857. He was twice
married, by his first union he had six children and
by the second, four children were born. William
J., the eldest of the family, is living in Reno
County, Kan.; Nancy, wife of S. J. Bonnafield,
died in California; Margaret, born May 27, 1827,
in Rush County, Ind., is now Mrs. McGuire;
Thomas E., died in 18'il; James II., and Eliza J.,
the two remaining children of the first marriage
are also deceased. Mr. Ross was twice elected to
the constitutional conventions of Iowa, and was a
prominent and influential citizen of the State.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. McGuire numbers
five children, as follows: Mary E., who was born in
February, 1850, and is now the wife of Henry
Smithein, a stock raiser of Nevada; Thomas R.,
born in 1851, married Sarah Madden, of Brighton,
Iowa, and is now living in Greenfield, Adair
County; Charles S., born in 1854, is located in
Lyon County, Kan.; William M., born in 1859, re-
sides on the old homestead and assists his father in
operating the same; Samuel, born in 1862, makes
his home with his parents. Good common-school
advantages were offered these children, that they

might be fitted for the active duties of life and by
tlie discharge of tbe same become useful citizens.
The mother of the family is a member of the
Presbyterian Church. iNIr. McGuire is a Democrat
in politics and frequently serves as a member of the
county and congressional conventions. IIis opin-
ions are of weight in tbose assemblies and he is con-
sidered an influential member of that party. He'cast
his first Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren.
Several timea he has been calle 1 upon to serve in
public positions, for four years he held the office
of Justice of the Peace, two terms acted as Assessor
and for eleven years has been a member of the
School Board.

^g*J^ii*s«

^f UGUST WALGREN, a farmer residing on
(Q/'-ll section 9, Lockridge Township, Jefferson
I i£i Count}', was born on the Uth of Septem-
(^ her, 1827, in Sweden. Most of his family

were engaged in agricultural pursuits but his
grandfather was in the government service, in-
spector of government land. His father in his
youth learned the tailor's trade which he followed
for many years. He also operated a farm for some
time and could turn his hand to almost any kind of
labor. In 1826, he married Miss Christina Wal-
gren. His own name was Peter Sam uelson, but our
subject took his mother's name. JMr. Saniuelson
continued business operations in his native land
until his death, which occurred in 1850. Soon
afterward the family came to America and made a
settlement in Burlington, Iowa, where the}' re-
mained one year. There were five children in the
family, the eldest of whom is August, the subject
of this sketch; Caroline died in Jefferson County;
John went to California in 1852, and was last heard
of in 1864 when he started home, but he never
reached his destination and it is supposed that he
was murdered while on a Mississippi steamer;
Andrew, a resident of Burlington, is in the employ
of the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Compau}'. He served in the First Iowa Infantry

356

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

(luring the late war ami was Sergeant at the battle
of Wilsons' Creek. Lewis Peter entered the ser-
vice in the First Nebraska Regiment and after be-
ing wounded received his discharge. Later he re-
enlisted in the Seventii lovva Cavalry, was made
Sergeant and remained a faitlifvil follower of the
old &iig until the close of the war. lie is now liv-
ing in Ft. Davis, Tex.

Our subject spent the days of his boyhood and
j'outh in his native land and tlie year succeeding
his arrival in America, was united in marriage with
IMiss Anna Peterson, who came to this country in
1849. Their union was celebrated in Burlington,
June 24, 1851. and the succeeding autumn they
sought a home in Jefferson County, locating in
Lockridge Township, where Mr. Walgren purchased
sixty acres of land. That tract was covered with
timber, deer and smaller wild game was to be found
in abundance and the Indians were yet frequent
visitors in the settlement. Not ^ furrow having
lieen turned upon his land, he had to begin at the
verv first to develop a fai m and for ten years he de-
viited himself exclusively to work in that line in
which period a great transformation was wrought,
ciianging the hitherto uncultivated tract into rich
and fertile fields which yielded abundant harvests.

But in the meantime events were shaping them-
selves which changed his mode of life. The Civil
War was in progress. His country needed men and
no lunger could he resist the appeals made for
volunteers but with his heart in the cause and him-
si^lf ready to give up his life if need be for his coun-
try, he entered the service on the 19th of October,
186 1, as a member of Company M, Fourth Iowa
Cavalry. His regiment was engaged in warfare
against the guerrillas in the Southwest and al-
though their duty did not win them fame as other
service might have done, it was none the less ardu-
ous or important. On ai count of the hardships
and ex()0sures incident to that life, Mr. Walgren
was taken with bleeding at the lungs and became
so weak that he had to be lifted on his horse. At
length he was granted a sick furlough of thirty-
days but it took twenty-eight days to reach St.
Louis and so his time was extended. When he
again reported for duty he was made ward master
in the hospital at Keokuk and was transferred to the

One Hundred and Sixty seventh Veteran Reserve
Corps. After three years and two months he re-
ceived his discharge, the war having then been
brought to a successful terminati(jn.

After his return home, Mr. Walgren acted as
traveling minister for some eleven vears in Iowa,
and also spent two years in Michigan and one ;(ear
in Illinois, in the same capacity. His labors were
arduous but lijs interest in the work allowed him
little rest until at length, in 1873, broken down in
health, he had to retire to his farm for recupera-
tion. Five years later he removed to his present
home where he owns and operates a good farm of
three hundred and forty-five acres, on whicii may
be found good buildings, all necessary improve-
ments and a commodious and tasty residence just
completed. In connection with the ojieration of
his land he operates a stone quarry- and also devotes
considerable attention to the raising of fine stock,
making a specialty of Short-horn cattle and Bel-
gium horses. With no capital save a j'oung man's
bright hope of the future he started out in life.
The New World furnished attractions for him and
he resolved to here seek his fortune. Choosing the
West as the scene of his labors he began operations,
determined to succeed if he could accomplish suc-
cess by honorable methods. Almost a third of a
century has since come and gone, and in the exer-
cise of his business talents and by industry, perse-
verance, and above all, b}' fair and honest dealing,
he has won a handsome competence. and gained the
respect and good will of all with whom he has
come in contact. His life work is worth}' of emu-
lation and with the hope that some one will be in-
spired with renewed efforts b}' the jerusal of this
brief sketch, we insert it in the volume of his coun-
ty's history. Socially, Mr. Walgren is a member
of George Strong Post, No. 19, G. A. R., of Fair-
field. In his earlier years, his views were in har-
mony with the principles of the Democratic party
but ere he had attained the right of citizenship his
ideas iinderwent a change and he cast his first Presi-
dential vote for John C. Fremont. The Republican
party has since found in hiin a stalwart supporter.

We have said little concerning Mrs. Walgren
who has been a true helpmate to her husband along
life's journey. For thirty-nine years she has shared

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

357

with him th'e joys and sorrows, the adversity and
successes which elieclier the life of men and by lier
assistance and encouraging words has done not a
little for his prosperous efforts. Tlieir union has
heen blessed with fourteen children, tlie eldest of
whom, Andrew W.. is now living in Salina; Albert
is at home; Anna R., is now a resident of Wyo-
ming where she owns some land; Arthur W.,and Jos-
eph O., are also living in Wyoming; Emma F. is the
wife of Mr. Krumpltz; Lewis is located in Denver,
Col.; Henrietta lives in W3'oming; Wesley, Frank-
lin, and Hannah May, are still at home. The other
members of the family are deceased.

The children have all received good educational
advantages, thus being fitted for the practical du-
ties of life, and like their parents are members of
the Methodist Church. The family, so widely
known throughout Jefferson County, is well worthy
of representation in this volume.

\|'OHN HOSTETLER, a representative farmer
residing on section 10, Lockridge Town-
ship, Jefferson County, has been a witness
of the growth of Iowa during almost its
entire existence as a State and in the onward
march of progress has been found in the front
ranks. France is the land of his nativity and
September, 1810, the date of his birth. His ,)arents,
Pelcr and Margaret Hosteller were born and roared
in the same neighborhood in France. The father
died when John was about nine months old and
he was left an orphan at the age of sixteen. Six
children were born unto that worthy couple but
only- two of the number are now living. Anna
died in France; Barbara, widow of Jacob Eicher,
is living in Washington County, Iowa; Abraham
died in Henry County; Peter and Christian died
in France; and John completes the family.

The life of our sulijeet has been one of unremit-
ting toil until within tlie past few j-ears, when, hav-
ing acquired a competency, he is enabled to Lay
aside the more arduous labors and enjoy the fruits

of former service. He began to make his own way

in the world at the early age of ten j'ears, when he
commenced work at herding sheep which he con-
tinued some five 3'ears. In 1825, a lad of fifteen
summers, he began the weaver's trade which he
followed until his emigration to America in 1837.
Attracted by the opportunities afforded young men
for advancement in that country, he braved the
dangers of an ocean voyage in the slow moving
sail vessels which then took passengers across the
Atlantic, and embarked for the New World. He
made his first location in Wayne County, Ohio,
where for a year he followed his trade of weaving.
He then engaged in various pursuits whereby he
might earn an honest dollar, including wood chop-
ping and other laborious tasks. Some 3'ears passed
b3' in that w,a3' and in 1848, proceeding by river,
he came to the new State of Iowa and from the
Government jnirchased one hundred and sixty-
acres of wild land on section 10, Lockridge Town-
ship. His first home, a log cabin, still continues
to be his place of residence but in his farm great
changes have taken place. The land, which at the
time of his purchase was covered with brush and
timber, has all been cleared and plowed and its
boundaries have been extended, until now three
hundred and one acres |)a3- tribute to his care and
cultivation.

In the year of his arrival in Iowa, Mr. Hostetler
led to the marriage altar Miss Fannie Ernst, a na-
tive of German3', who bore him one child, but both
mother and babe were laid away in the same grave.
In 1857, he formed a matrimonial alliance with
Catherine Bossard, a native of France, and unto
them have been born six children, four of whom
are yet living. Joseph, the eldest of the family,
who was born April 18, 1858, is now renting the
old homestead and in the operation of the farm dis-
pl.ays excellent business abilit3'. He is an intelligent,
enterprising young man who alread3' has won an
honored place in the regard of his many friends.
He possesses the energy, thrift and other necessary
qualifications which in time will secure him a posi-
tion in the front rank of his fellow citizens, and the
high esteem of his friends will ever remain with
him. The younger children of the family are
Katie, w.io was born August 10, 1859, and is now

358

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the wife of Chris Mowery. of Davis County, Iowa;
John, who wa? born March 12, 18(')1, and is now
located in Oregon; and Saraii, at iiome. Herljirth
occnrrfd May 18, 1866, and the two otlier cliildrun
of tlie family died in youth.

Mr. Hostetler is a friend of education and
provided liis ciiildrcn with such advantages as
would fit tiiem for tlie practical duties of life. He
and his family belong to the Ornish Church and in
politics, he has ever supported the Democratic party
but lias never been a politician in the sense of
oHice seeking. Many changes have occurred since
he came to the county, at which time Iowa gave
little promise of her present prosperity. In this
neighliorhood game of all kinds was to be found in
abundance and furnished many a meal for the
settlers; the great part of the land was still un-
claimed and the homes of the pioneers were widely
scattered. No one feels a greater pride in the
advancement wliicli has been made than Mr. Hos
teller, who for fort3-t\vo j^ears has resided in Jeffer-
son County.

#^

'RCHIBALD GILCHRIST, contractor and
builder of Fairfield, has followed his pres-
ent business since the age of twenty-two
(^j years, ami in the pursuit of his chosen

trade, has done not a little for the upbuilding and
advancement of this eommunit_y. lie was born in
Westmoreland Countj', Pa., January 1, 1837, and
was the fourth in order of birth in a family of eight
children, whose parents were Joseph and Eliza
(McAllister) Gilchrist. His parents were both of
Scotch descent, and were natives of the Keystone
State. His father was twice marrie<l, his first union
being with a sister of his second wife, and unto
them were born two children. By the second mar
riagc eigiit children were born, as already stated,
and of the complete number, nine are living. Hav-
ing engaged in farming in Pennsylvania until 1868,
Mr. Gilchrist then removed to ^^an Buren County.
Iowa, where he and his vvife spent their last da3's.

His death occurred at the age of seventy-eight
years, and his wife departed this life when ten years
younger. They were members of the Presbyterian
Church, were people highly esteemed by their
many friends, and in polities, he was a Whig, and
later a Republican.

Although reared to farm life, Archibald Gil-
christ determined to engage in some other pursuit
as his life work, and at the age of twent3'-two3'ears
began learning the trade of cabinet-making and
carpentering, at which he became a proficient work-
man. In 1861, he married Eliza Kirkpatrick, but
she survived their union onl3' about a year.

Having lost his wife, and with no home duties to
bind him, Mr. Gilchrist followed his patriotic im-
pulses, and in August, 1863, enlisted in the service
as a member of Company F, Sixt3'-third Pennsyl-
vania Infantry. He joined the army of the Poto-
mac at Culpeper Court House, Va., and was with
the Third Arm3' Corps until its consolidation with
the Second Army Corps, which w,as commanded by
Gen. Hancock. He participated in many skir-
mishes and a number of important battles, includ-
ing the engagement at Mine Run. the battles of the
Wilderness, Cold Harbor, S[)ottsylvania, the siege
of Petersburg, and the capture of Lee at Appomat-
tox. Through his entire service he was never
wounded or taken prisoner, and on the 18th of
July, 1865, was honorabl3' discharged at Pittsburg.

AVhen the war was over, Mr. Gilchrist returned
to his home and engaged in the undertaking and
eabinet-nT-king business in Madison, Westmoreland
Count3', Pa. He was again married November 6,
1867, the lad3' of his choice being Miss Mary M.
Clendenin, who was born in Westraorelaiid County,
June 9, 1840, and is a daughter of David and
Nancy (Barr) Clendenin, who were also natives of
the Keystone State. By occupation her father vvas a
farmer, and followed that business throughout his
entire life. He died at the age of sixty-six years,
but his wife is still living in Missouri, and has now
attained her eightieth year. Of their family of
eight children, the wife of our subject is the fourth
in order of birth.

The year 1869 witnessed the removal of IMr. Gil-
christ from his native State to (Jreenwood. Jackson
County, Mo., where he worked at cabinet-making

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

359

and undertaking for some five years, at the expira-
tion of wliich time we find him en route for Iowa.
Maldng a location in Fairfield, in 1874, he assisted
in Iniildi'jg Parsons College, and a nnmber of other
buildings. He then spent two years in a furniture
factory, since whicli time he has devoted ids time
and energies to liis present business, that of con
tractingand building. Thoroughly conversant with
the trade, capable of planning and superintending
the work, and conscientious in the fullfilment of all
contracts, he has won the confidence and regard of
the community, and thereby secured a liberal pat-
ronage, which he justly merits. He was bridge
builder for tlie C'liicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad for two years, was tiie builder of the Sav-
ings Bank, and has erected several of the finest resi-
dences of Fairfield, including tliat of Mrs. Henn's
and his own home. In Aprd, 1890, he admitted
to partnership in the business, W. S. Cook, and the
lirm of Gilchrist & Cook ranks first among the eon-
tractors of Fairfield. They employ about ten men
and their trade is constantly increasing.

The Gilchrist home is the abode of hospitality,
and our subject and his worthy wife hold an envi-
able position in the social woild. Their union was
blessed willi no children of tlieir own, but they
reared an orphan child, fclrie R. Mr. Gilchrist has
served as a Director in the Fairfield Building and
Loan Association. In politics, he is a Republican,
liaving supported that party since casting his first
Presidential vole for Abraham Lincoln in I860.

-^>-^^^:^^^^^^^f^^-

^m^ON. BENJAMIN R. VALE, President of
the Farmers' & Traders' Bank, of Bona-
parte. Van Buren County, is well and favor-
ably known throughout Southern Iowa. He
s a representative of the best class of citizens — one
uno feels an interest in ))ublic affairs and cheer-
ully performs any labor which will promote the
general welfare of the community. His birth oc-
curred on the 4th of June, 1848, in Jefferson
L ounty, Ohio, and he came to Iowa in 1850 and

to this county in 1856. His primary education,
which was .acquired in the public schools, was sup-
plemented by a course in the Academy of Birming-
ham, Van Buren County, and in 1868 he entered
the IMonmouth College, of Monmouth, 111., being
graduated, on his completion of the classical course,
in 1873. It was his intention then to take up the
study of law. In fact, he had made partial arrange-
ments to enter the law department of the Iowa
Stntc Tniversity, but circumstances so shaped
themselves that he gave u]) that idea, turning his
attention to otiier pursuits. He is now engaged to
a considerable extent in stock growing in Harris-
burg Township, and has met with good success in
that line. As before stated, he is connected with
the Farmers' & Traders' Bank, of Bonaparte, Iowa,
as its President, and the success of that institution
is due in no small degree to Mr. Vale, who possesses
good business ability, energy and a straightfor-
ward manner, whicli wins the confidence of all
with whom he comes in contact.

It was in February, 1874. that Mr. Vale led to
the marriage altar Miss Julia Biddle, daughter of
Dr. Biddle, of Kirkwood, 111., one of the prominent
ph}'sicians of that town. They began their do-
mestic life in Harrisburg Township, but in 1885 he
built a residence in Bonaparte and removed his
family to that town, the cause of the removal
being his wife's health. There were four children
born of their union, one son and three daughters
— Anne R., May B., Margaret E. and Bruce Rex.
Mr. Vale has the honor of being President of the
National Anti-Horse Thief Association. Both he and
his wife are members of the Piesb3'torian Church,
and in the social world are held in high regard. In
politics he is a stanch supporter of Re|)ublican
l)rinci[)les, having cast his ballot with that party
since attaining his majorif}'. In the fall of 1887
he was nominated by his party for the office of
State Senator and triumphantly elected, represent-
ing his constituent9 in the Upper House faithfully
and well. He proved an influential member of
the Legislature and gave his support to all meas-
ures calculated to aid the general community. The
school interests of the communit}' have engaged
his attention, he having served for eight years as
Secretary and seven 3ear3 as President of the

360

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

School Board. He is also connected with several
stock breeding associations, and is now President
of the National Swine Breeders' Association, which
is benefl(nal in developing stocl\ and shaping legis-
lation. The pnlilic and private life of Mr. Vale,
alike, are above reproach. He is a man of sterling
worth and strict integrity, with many commend-
able characteristics, and it is with pleasure that
we present this brief sketch of his life to the
readers of the Album.

♦♦— 3*s/\/-

HARLES D. FULLEN, of the firm of Jones
& Fullen, attorneys at law of Fairfield,
Iowa, was born in Agency City, Wapello
County, this State, on the 8th of Jul}-, 1860, and
is the son of Jolin and Maggie (Sage) Fullen.
His father, who is of Irish descent, was born in
New York Cily, and his mother, a native of In-
diana, belongs to an old Virginia family. Mr.
Fullen, Sr., came to Jefferson County, Iowa, in
1855, when yet a single man, and here married
Miss Sage. He removed with his young wife to
Wapello County in 1859, and is still residing in
Agency City, but the mother of our subject died
in February, 1886.

Charles D. Fullen received the advantages of a
liberal education, continuing his studies in the
Iowa Wesleyan University, of IMt. Pleasant, after
leaving the |)nblic schools of his native town. He
then entered the Chicago University, of Chicago,
and on the completion of a legal course of study
was graduated from the law department of the
Iowa State University', in the class of '80. After
spending a few weeks in Texas, he began practice
in Ottumwa, but on the 9th of August, 1882, re-
moved to Fairfield, where he has engaged in active
practice continuously since. In December, 1883,
he formed the existing partnership with I. D.
Jones, and the firm has taken a prominent place in
the ranks of the profession.

Mr. Fullen was married in Mt. Pleasant, on the
5th of December, 1881, the lad}- of his choice be-

ing Miss Anna B. Julian, a daughter of M. L.
Julian, now of Fairfield. She was burn in Adams
County, III. Two children grace their marriage,
both sons: Fi-ed Julian, born May 25, 1883. and
Donald Douglas, who was born on the loth of De-
cember, 1888. Mrs. Fullen was reared a Methodist,
but with her husband attends the Congregational
Church.

In politics Mr. Fullen is a Democrat, with all
the name implies. National and State. He has been
an active and influential member of that party for
years. For four years jiast he has been a member
of the Democratic State Central Committee for the
First District, and has ever been active in conven-
tions and in promoting the success of the part}-.
He was the Democratic candidate for Representa-
tive at the last general election, and while the ordi-
nary Republican majority of the district is between
four hundred and twent3'-flve and four hundred
and fifty, he was defeated by but sevent^'-one
votes. Mr. P^ullen is a member of Clinton Lodge,
No. 15, A. F. & A. M., and is also a member of the
Odd Fellows society, belonging to Jefferson Lodge,
No. 4. He is one of the rising young lawyers of
the State, and has gained a fair share of the legal
business of the Jefferson County bar.

-S^i^-

*iW

ylLLIAM H. MOIIR, a furniture dealer
and leading business man of Fairfield, has
„ ^ passed almost his entire life in this city,
having been brought by his parents to Jefferson
County when a babe of a year. Pennsylvania is
the State of his nativity, his birth having oc(Hirred
in Schuylkill County, on the 4th of February,
1857. His parents. Henry and Angelina (Schoener)
Mohr, with a desire to receive financial benefits and
and make for their famil}- a comfortable home,
emigrated to the West in 1858. Having attained
a sufficient age, William was placed in the public
schools, where he acquired a good jjractical English
education, and w.as thereh_y fitted for the duties of
life. When a young man of twenty-four years he

THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC library!

ASTOR. LFNOX

W. W. NELSON.

MRS, NELSON.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

365

entered upon his business career, forming a part-
nersliip in 1881 with David R. Beatty under the
firm name of Beatty & Mohr, dealers in hardware
and agricultural implements. Tiieir business pros-
pered, and their connection continued until Febru-
ary 1, 1889, when Mr. Molir sold his interest to his
partner and eraljarl<ed in tlie furniture business,
wliicli he still continues.

On tlie 18th of February, 1880, Mr. Mohr led to
tlie marriage altar Miss Lettie .J. Dewey, daughter
of Ralph Dewey. Their union was celebrated in
Washington, Iowa, of which city the lady is a na-
tive. Altliough she hiis made her home in this
community but a sliort time, her estimable quali-
ties have already won her many warm friei^ds, and
in the social world Mr. Mohr and his wife hold a
high position. lie is a member of Forest City
Lodge, No. 37, K. P., and in his political affiliation
is a Republican, having supported that party since
attaining his majority. He is now doing a flour-
ishing business as a furniture dealer, and carries a
stock valued at $35,000. He has a fine assortment
of furniture of the various grades' and prices to
meet tlie popular demand, and his establishment is
widely and favorably known throughout the
county.* He has gained a reputation for fair deal-
ing that has won the confidence and respect of all
with whom he has business relations, and it is with
pleasure that we record his sketch among those of
the representative business men of Fairfield.

<* l*,ILLIAM W. NELSON, M. D., has for
\ry//i thirty years been successfully engaged in
W'^i the practice of medicine in this commun-
ity. His home is in Birmingham. He was born on
November 30, 1834, in Wayne County, Ohio, and
is a son of William and Elizabeth (Wilson) Nel-
son. His father was born in Mercer County, Pa.,
December 5, 1790, and was descended from Irish
ancestry. He served in the War of 1812, and in
Pennsylvania, he mnrrieil Miss Elizabeth Wilson,
who was born in Ireland, May 25, 1791, and who,

in her childhood accomi)auied her parents to this
country and located in Pennsylvania. Soon after
their marriage they removed in 1817, to Wayne
County, Ohio, near Rowsburg, where Mr. Nelson
engaged in farming until 1836, when he removed
to Richland Count}^ (now Ashland) and located
on a farm near .Savannah until 1845, when he
traded his land in that locality for a tract in Wash-
ington Township, V'an Buren County, Iowa, to
which he then removed. He vvas a Whig, afterward
an Abolitionist and in turn became a Republican,
Both he and his wjfe were members of the Associ-
ate Presbyterian Church, but afterward joined the
United Presbyterian. He died September 24, 1860,
and Mrs. Nelson passed aw.a}^ on the 7th of Octo-
ber, 1858. In tlieir family were nine children, of
whom seven lived to be adults, while three are yet
living — Hugh, a farmer of Van Buren County;
Ann, widow of Jose[)h Dawson, of Washington
County, Iowa, and the Doctor.

Our subject is the youngest of the familj'. Hav-
ing attended the district schools, he was not content
to consider his education then finished but through
his own resources acquired the means by which he
was enabled to attend Washington College for two
years. His taste lay in the line of medical [iractice
and in 1857, he went to Wooster, Ohio, where lie
read medichie with Drs. D.ay & Wilson. During the
winter of 1858-9, he attended a course of lectures
in the medical department of the Iowa State Uni-
versity at Keokuk, and the following year com-
pleted a course of study in the Jefferson Medical
College of Philadelphia, Pa., where he graduated
March 12, 1860, although he has continued a stu-
dent up to the present time, keeping himself well
informed on all matters pertaining to the profes-
sion, its discoveries and the advancement made in
the science.

Soon after his graduation. Dr. Nelson was united
in marriage on March 20, 1860, with Miss Almira
Matthews, a native of Lawrence County, Pa., born
Jul}' 22, 1839. Immediately after he returned
with his bride to Van Buren County, locating in
Pierceville, in the summer of 1860, where they be-
gan their domestic life. On the 19th of August,
1862, he was commissioned by ("4ov. Kirkwood as
First Assistant Surgeon df the Fifteenth Iowa In-

366

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

fanti'v, and mustered into service by Lieut. Charles
.T. Ball of'lhe'^TIiirtcenth Infantry'. United States
mustering officer. September 14, 1862, at Keokuk.
He joined his regiment at luka. Miss., but soon
afterward was taken with malarial fever and lav in
the general hospital at Corinth, Miss., some three
weeks, suffering severely, and recovering, he then
rejoined his regiment at Grand .Tuuction, Tenn.
In tlie spring of 18G3, he was ordered to take
charge of a smallpox hospital at Lake Province,
La.,' by order of Gen. McPherson. After a month
he was relieved and placed in charge of the Sixth
Division Pioneer Corps, commanded by Capt.
Davis, of the Tliirty-second Illinois Infantry. Re-
turning to his regiment in August, 186.3, he had
charge of the sick of the brigade when tlie regi-
ments went on the march to Monroe, La. After a
short sickness and an absence, on furlough, of
twenty days, given by Gen. Grant at Vicksburg, he
rejoined his regiment and had charge of two com-
panies detached for duty at the arsenal near Vicks-
burg, and also had charge of a pioneer corps and
eno-ineer regiment commanded by Capt. .lolin Wil-
son. He remained with the above command until
the spring of 1864, when he was placed in charge
of non-veterans and recruits of tlie Iowa Brigade,
and had charge of this detachment until tlieir re-
spective commands joined them near Iluntsville,
Ala., when he was placed in charge of the Third
Iowa Veteran Infantry, with which he remained
vintil it was consolidated with the Second Veteran
Infantry near Jones' Plantation. Ga., on Sherman's
march to the sea. Thereafter, the Doctor rejoined
his nigiment and from December 22, 1864, until
he was mustered out he was the only medical officer
with the command. He participated in the battles of
Corinth, Vicksburg, Atlanta, and Bentonsvilie, and
the Grand Review at Washington, D. C, May 24,
1865, and was mustered out with his regiment at
Louisville, Ky., July 24, 1865, at the close of the
war. In tlie fall of the same year, the Doctor located
in Birmingham, where he has since been successfully
eno-aged in tlie practice of his chosen profession, with
the exception of 1874, when with his family he vis-
ited the Pacific coast in the pursuit of health and re-
turned the following year. He has a good recor.l
as a physician and surgeon, as is indicated by a

liberal patronage. He holds the office of Secretary
of the Lnited States Pension Kxatninuig Board, of
ills county, is a Reijubliean in j^olitics and the
owner of two hundred and twenty acres of im-
proved land. Unto himself and wife were born
seven children of whom two died in infancy. Those
living are as follows: Meldon W..a farmer of Lick
Creek Township. Van Buren County; Nettie X.;
Minnie A., wife of Allen B. Adams, of Selma;
Audley E. and Mary L., who are students at Par-
sons College. The family holds a high position in
tlie social world and the Doctor has won a like en-
viable rank in the medical fraternity. In religious
sentiment the Doctor and his wife are independent,
and anti-sectarian.

Mrs. Nelson's grandfather, Jacob Matthews, was
born in ^Maryland, in 1775. His ancestors were of
Alsace, France, or of German descent. He married
Miss Mary Boyl, who was born in Ireland, and
tiieir family consisted of three children, one son
and two daughters. At an early day they moved
to Lawrence County. Pa., and located on a farm
near Edenburg. He served in the War of 1812,
and died at the age of eighty-four. His only son,
Phillip Matthews, Mrs. Nelson's father, married
Miss Nancy Book, of the same county. Their
family consisted of ten children, two sons and
eight daughters. One son and two daughters died
in childhood. The other son, George B. Matthews,
Mrs. Nelson's remaining brother, served four years
in the One Hundredth Pennsylvania Veteran Vol-
unteers, and was killed in the battle of the Wil-
derness. One sister died at maturit)', and three
still survive.

(j/^, ENRY CLAY RANEY^ attorney-at-law. of
FairQeld, was born in Cedar Township, Jef-
ferson Count}', on thellth of December,
1855, and has sjjent the greater part of his

life in this county, where he is widely known as a

promising young lawyer .and enterprising citizen.

His parents are William and Hannah M. (Lootnis)

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

367

Rane3-. His father, a native of Beikeley County.
Va., first came to Iowa on a prospecting tour in
1844, and two years later located in the new Stale,
making a settlement in Van Buren County, whence
he removed to Jefferson County in 18.5L He here
met and married Mrs. Raney, who came with her
parents to the county in 1839. Her father. Na
thaniel Loomis, was a native of New Yorlt. but
previous to liis emigration to Iowa had been a resi-
dent of Holmes County, Ohio. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Raney are still living and make tlieir home
on a farm, where they settled in 18ul.

The subject of this sketch, Henry Clay Raney,
spent his boyhood days in the usual manner of
farmer lads, and until he had attained his majority
remained at home, aiding his father in the cidti-
vation of the land. He pursued a collegiate course
after attaining his majority, graduating witli tiie
first class from Parsons College, June 16, 1880.
Previously he had attended the academy at Bir-
mingham during several winter seasons, but on the
return of summer he would again be found fol-
lowing the plough. However, he resolved to enter
upon some other occupation or profession as his
life work, and made choice of the law. After eom-
[jleting his college course, he began fitting himself
for legal practice in the oHice of Leggett & Mc-
Kemey. In August, 1882, he was admitted to the
District nnd Circuit Courts of the State, and four
years later, in October, 1886, was admitted to
practice in the Supreme Court of the State, and
in the LTnited States Circuit and District Courts.
He continued with the firm of Leggett & Mc-
Kemey until December 4, 1883, and then began
practice in his present office, where he has now car-
ried on business for seven years. He is also con-
nected with one of the leading industries of Fair-
field, being a partner in the Drain and Tile Works,
in which he purchased an interest in October, 1886.

On the 8th of February, 1883, in Birmingham,
Iowa, Mr. Raney was joined in wedlock with Miss
Mary M. Bogle, a daugiiter of Samuel Bogle, of that
place, and a native of Lick Creek Township, Van
Buren County. Unto them were born four chil-
dren, two of wliom are now living — William Alex,
the eldest, died at the age of one month; Franklin
Clay was born August 8, 1886; Ralph Bogle died

at the age of one year; and Klery Murray was
born March 11,1 890.

Mr. and Mrs. Raney are members of the Presby-
terian Church, and in the social world are held in
high regard, having many warm friends tiirough-
out the community. In politics he is a supporter
of Republican principles and has served as City
Solicitor of Fairfield for four j'ears, proving a cap-
able and etticient officer. He possesses energy and
determination, and his success in life is assured if
he continues in his present course.

\f OSEPH A. JOHNSON, one of the leading
young business men of Bonaiiarte, Van Buren
County, now holds the position of Cashier
of the Farmers' & Traders' Bank. He was
born in the town which is yet his home, on the
on the '27th of July, 1862, his [larents being early
settlers of the community. His education was
acquired in the common schools of his native
town, and on leaving the schoolroom he began his
business career as an employe in the Post-office
uikUt J. P. Davis, with whom he remained un-
til the year 1879. In that jear he took charge
of his father's business, and continued operations
in that line until his father sold out, when he en-
tered the emplo3' of Thomas Christy, for whom he
was to operate a store while his eraploj-er dis-
charged the duties of Cashier of the Farmers' &
Traders' Bank, of Bonaparte. In 1883 Mr. John-
son was made Assistant Cashier of the same bank,
with which he has now been connected seven years.
At the death of the Cashier, which occurred in
1887, he was promoted to that position, which he
still holds. He has proved himself a worthy of-
ficer in the bank, being faithful and conscientious
in the disch.-irge of every duty, and ranks among
the leading young business men of Van Buren
County.

In the month of October, 1887, Mr. Johnson was
united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Welch,

368

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

(laughter of tlie Rev. James and Maggie (Buck)
Welcli. Her father is a Presbyterian minister and a
most worthy man. Mrs. Johnson was born in the
Buckeye State, and is a member of the Presbyterian
Church. In politics Mr. Johnson is a stanch sup
porter of Democratic principles and does all in his
power to promote the interests of his party. The
home of this young couple is noted for its hospi-
tality, and both husband and wife rank high in the
social world, where intelligence and ability' are the
passports to society. They are now surrounded by
many warm friends, and the business as well as the
social relations of Mr. Johnson might well be a
subject of env3'.

• — -4-

HARLES BALDWIN and his wife, who are
now residing in Keosauqua, rank among
the pioneers of Van Buren County, the hus-
band dating his residence from March, 1841, and
Mrs. Baldwin from the spring of 1840. They have
tlius been witnesses of almost its entire growth and
development, and having taken an active interest
in its progress are certainly deserving of a repre-
sentation in its history.

Mr. Baldwin was born in Guernsey Countj',Ohio,
July 18, 1818, and is a son of David and Lavina
(Wheeler) Baldwin, both of whom were natives of
Connecticut, the former born in AVeston in 1792,
the latter in Bridgeport in 1795. The Baldwins
are of English descent and the family was founded
in Connecticut at a very early day. Six children
constituted the family of David and Lavina Bald-
win and are as follows: Julia, who is now the wife
of Josiah Allison, of Elmira, Salina County, Cal.;
Mary, widow of Judge Johnston, an eminent
scholar and lawyer of ability, who was elected
judge of his district and honored with a seat in
the State Senate; George, who was a young man of
great promise and a warm personal friend of Sena-
tor Stanford's, died in California about 1«61; Har-
riet is the wife of O. D. Tisdaie, a retired merchant
f>f Otlumwa. Iowa; Lavina married Darwin Deoa-

lio and both died in California.'^ By trade. David
Baldwin was a tanner and followed that business
as a life occupation. He was a man'] well" posted
on all affairs of State and county and took an active
part in politics, although he never sought or was
desirous of holding office. Throughout the com-
munitj' he was known as Deacon Baldwin, having
been a Deacon in the Congregational Church for
man J' 3'ears. In 1817 he emigrated to Ohio, locat-
ing in Waterford, Washington County, when it was
a vast wilderness and there made a home in which
he and his wife spent their remaining days. Like
her husband, Mrs. Baldwin was greatly beloved for
her many excellent qualities of heart and hand.
She lived the life of a consistent Christian and as
her lot was cast in a settlement where ministers
were few, on Sunday she would often take her place
behind the desk in the old log schoolhouse and
read a sermon to the pioneers there assembled. She
died at the age of thirty-six years, mourned by all
who knew her.

Much work and little play was the rule of our
subject's early life. His education was acquired in
a log schoolhouse in his native State, where he
conned the rudimentary studies for about two
months in the year, the remaining ten months be-
ing devoted to assisting his father in the tannery,
but by study in leisure hours lie gained a knowledge
sufficient to teach at the age "iif nineteen years.
After a year spent in that vocation he went to
Morgan County, Ohio, where he repaired a tannery,
remaining a couple of years, but the following
March he turned his face Westward and in the Ter-
ritory of Iowa found a home. Locating in Van
Buren Count}', he made a contract with the firm
of Lyon & Games to operate a tannery for five
years, the profits of the same to be equally divided,
but on the failure of those gentlemen to comply
with the terms of the contract he abandoned the
enlerprise and entered the office of Hon. James B.
Howell, under whose direction he studied law for
a j'ear. At the expiration of that time he erected
a tannery of bis own which he operated for ten
years with good success, when he disposed of his
business, having, in 1852, been elected Clerk of the
District Court. He served one term but refused a
renomination. considering the duties too confining.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUiM.

369

His next venture was in the mercantile business as
a partner of Thomas Rankin, whose interest he
purchased after a year and continued the business
alone until 1858, when on account of the financial
depression felt throughout the country he found
it impossible to make collections and discontinued
business. Out of employment he once more turned
his attention to law and was admitted to the bar in
1859, but the gold excitement, caused by discov-
eries at Pike's Peak, was then at its height and he
made a journe\- to that region, spending the sum-
mer in the mountains. On returning to Keosauqua,
he formed a law parln-^rship with Judge George
G. Wright, under the firm name of Wright & Bald-
win which connection continued until 1861 when
the Judge was called to the bencii to fill a vacancy.
Mr. Baldwin was then alone in the practice of his
profession until his retirement from that jiursuit in
1884. He won prominence at the bar and by his
professional brethren was regarded as an able law-
yer, while his popularity with the people was evinced
by the liberal patronage which he received.

On the 28th of .Seineniber, 1844, in Van Buren
County, Mr. Baldwin and Miss Rachel, daughter
of John and Rachel (Seaman) Wright, were united
in marriage. Their union has been blessed with
six children: William W., who graduated from the
Iowa University and became an attorney-at-law,
was for a time connected with the Hon. J. B. Hall,
of Burlington, Iowa, and is now attorney for the
Chicago, Burlington it <^uiney Railroa<l Company,
with headquarters in Burlington; Charles Jr., who
was educated in the State University, is a practicing
attorney of Salt Lake City. Utah; Lavina is the
wife of Rev. J. W. Cheney, of Missouri; Lutio is
the wife of Charles Lefferts, a loan and real-estate
agent of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Julia is the wife of
Dr. McKibben, a practicing physician of Keosau-
qua; and Edward died at the age of fifteen years.

During Cleveland's administration, Mr. Baldwin
served as Postmaster of Keosauqua and since re-
signing in 1888, has lived a retired life. The suc-
ceeding winter he and Mrs. Baldwin spent in the
West, passing a portion of their time in Salt Lake
City and the remainder in California. They are
now living in retirement at their i)leasant home in
Keosauqua, resting from the labors of former years

and enjoying the fruits of past toil. In early life
Mr. Baldwin was a Whig and cast his iirst Presi-
dential vote for William Henry Harrison, but on
the dissolution of that party he joined the ranks of
the Democratic party, with which he has since
afflliated.

ellARLES MONROE JUNKIN. editor and
, junior pro|)rietor of the Fairfield Ledger, is
, ' a native of Fairfield. He was born on the

18th of May, 1855, and is a son of William W. and
Elizabeth (Patrick) Junkin, a sketch of whom ap-
pears elsewhere in this work. Our subject received
liberal educational advantages, having lieen a stu-
dent in the Iowa College of Grinnell, and the Den-
mark Academy, of Denmark, Lee County, the first
higher school established in the State. He learned
the printer's trade in the office of the Fairfield
Ledger, and further supplemented his knowledge
of the business in the Government printing-office in
Washington, D.C, after which, for two years, he in-
dulged in the experience of a tourist printer, work-
ing in various offices from New York to Salt Lake
City, and from St. Paul to St. Louis. May 26, 1878,
he became a partner with his father in the Fairfield
Ledger, and has continued that connection to the
present time, covering a ijeriod of twelve years.
Since the appointment of his father in April. 1889,
to the Government position which he still holds,
Charles M. has assumed the editorial charge and
business management of the Ledger.

On the 8th of Septembei', 1880, Mr. Junkin was
united in marriage with Miss Grace Slagle. a
daughter of C. W. Slagle. the union being cele
bratcd in Fairfield, of which city the lady was a
native. In politics, Mr. Junkin is a Republican,
having been actively' identified with the part}' since
attaining his majority. In 1884. he was a delegate
to the Republican National Convention in Chicago,
and has served three years as a member of the Re-
publican State Central Committee, during one year
of which lime he officiated as its .Secretary. For a

370

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

period of three years he has been Secretary of the
Iowa Press Association,an(i for a like period was .Sec-
retary of the Republican League, of Iowa. During
the campaign of 1888 be assisted in the organization
of eight liundred political clubs in Iowa, and in
other ways aided in the interests of his party.

^i^ AMUEL E. BIGELOW, manufacturer of
^^^^ boots and shoes, is at the head of one of
1\L£-3J '•''^ oldest establishments of- Fairfield, he
having begun business in that line in 1858,
and carried it on continuousl3' since, covering a
period of thirtj'-two consecutive years. Until 1870,
he also carried on tiie leather business in connection
with his other line of work, and the two have
yielded him an excellent income.

The story of Mr. Bigelow's life is as follows: He
was born in Sutton Township, Worcester County,
Mass., Februaiy 20, 1825, and traces his ancestry
back to 1642, when John Bigelow emigrated from
his home in England to become a resident of the
new Colony, which had beeu established on the
other side of the water only twenty-two years be-
fore. His father, Samuel Bigelow, was born in the
town of Charlton, Worcester County, July 2, 1793,
and having attained to mature years, was joined in
wedlock with Cynthia F. Forbush, their union be-
ing celebrated October 10, 1815. The lady was
born in Grafton, Mass., May 21, 1 794, and her peo-
ple were originally from Aberdeen, Scotland. The
paternal grandfather of our subject, Humphrey
Bigelow, served his country during the last four
years of the Revolutionary War, entering the army
wlien only sixteen years of age. In 1844, accom-
panied by his family, Samuel Bigelow removed lo
Washington County, Ohio, and fourteen years later
lie came to Fairfield, where he and his wife spent
their last dajs. His death occurred March 10,
1882, he having attained almost the age of ninety
years. The mother died March 20, 1872, at the
age of seventy-eight years. Mr. Bigelow engaged
in the same business which his son carries on. In

fact Samuel learned the business with his father,
and for some years, as partners, they continued
operations in that line.

The subject of this sketch spent the days of his
boyhood and youth in his native State, and on the
5th of February, 1852, made choice of a life com-
panion, Miss Mary J. Holliday. Their union was
celebrated in Marietta, Ohio. Mrs. Bigelow is a
daughter of Angus McDonald Holliday, and a na-
tive of Shelby ville. Mo. Three cliildren have been
born of their union: Susan Kate, wife of Edward
Hamilton, of Kansas City; and Cynthia L., widow
of Dr. Samuel Hammond, of Fairfield. They lost
one child, Millicent Virginia, who was born No-
vember 25, 1867, and died September 21, 1870.

In politics. Mr. Bigelow is a Republican, having
supported that part}' many years. He has never
been an office seeker, preferring to devote his time
and attention to his business interests, but served
one term as Alderman, and once as City Clerk. He
was made an Odd Fellow in Ohio, being initiated
into the mysteries of the order in JMarietta Lodge
in 1847, and now holds membership .with Jefferson
Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F., of Fairfield. His resi-
dence in this city covers a period of more than a
third of a century, and with its business interests
during the entire time he has been prominently
connected, in this manner aiding not a little in the
upbuilding and growth of the city.

^;?=^EORGE A. WELLS, resident and manag-
II ^^ ing partner of the private banking house of
^^41 Wells & Gariettson, has been engaged in
that line of business in P^airfield, Icwa, since 1862.
I..ong experience lias familiarized him with that
vocation in all its details, and he is now at the
head of what is considered to be one of the safe
and important moneyed institutions of Jefferson
County.

Mr. Wells was born in New Albany, Ind., on
the 2l8t of June, 1831, and is of English thscenti
the family having been founde<l in America liv

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

371

Thomas Wells, of England, who became one of the
early settlers of the New England Colonies. His
fatlier, tlie Rev. Ashbel Shipley Wells, was a na-
tive of Chittenden County, Vt., born in Jericho,
and having arrived at mature years, wedded Sophia
H. Hastings, a native of Clinton, Oneida County,
N. Y.. and a daughter of Seth Hastings, of the
same place. They resided in the East until 1854,
when, leaving tlieir old home, they emigrated to
the West and made a settlement in Fairfield, Iowa,
where the death of both parents occurred. The
mother departed this life in 187C, at the age of
seventy-six yo;irs, and the father, who vvas a most
exemplary man and was employed in missionary
work in this State, was called to liis reward in
1882, being eighty-four years of age at the time of
his death.

We now take up the personal history of our sub-
ject,and it is with pleasure we present this sketch to
the readers of the Album, who, we feel, will gladly
receive this brief account of the life work of one
of tlieir most illustrious townsmen. His boyhood
days were spent in his native city, where he at-
tended the common schools, after which he )jre-
pared himself at the Academy at Lodi, i\Iich., for
the sophomore year in college. He then took up
the study of pharmacy, spending six yeais as a
clerk in a drug store in Lima, Ind. Thinking to
better his financial condition, he came West in
1856, and choosing Fairfield as a location, he em-
barked in the drug business in this citj-. His ef-
forts were successful, and he continued operations
in that line until 18G'2, when, having acquired
some capital, he began banking, which business he
has followed almost exclusively since. He estab-
lished a private bank and continued operations
under the name of the G. A. Wells Bank until 1877,
when he admitted to partnership Garrett A. Gar-
rettson, and the firm name was changed to its pres-
ent form of Wells & (iarrettson, Mr. Wells con-
tinuing the resident and managing partner. The
working capital of the bank is §30,000, including
surplus.

In (Jctober, 1855, in Indiana. Mr. Wells was
united in marriage wit'.i Miss Priscillu U. Holmes,
a native of Newark, Ohio, and a daughter t>f Will-
iam Holmes. Unto them were born six children.

three sons and three daughters, but the former are
all now deceased. Harr^- died at the age of ten
years and Charles H. when two and a half years of
age; then followed Fannie, Kate E. and Grace II.,
while Fred, who died at the Age of one year, was
the youngest.

Mr. Wells was reared in the faith of the Pres-
byterian Church, his father and grandfather having
both been ministers in that denomination. In poli-
tics he is a supporter of the Republican party and
has served as a member of the City Council, but
has never been a politician in the commonly ac-
cepted significance of the term, caring nothing for
oflicial distinction. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, belonging to Clinton Lodge. No. 15,
A. F. & A. M.; McCord Chapter, No. 5. R. A. M.;
and Jerusalem Commandery, No. 5, K. T. Mr.
Weils has every re.ason to be proud of his suc-
cess in life, having by earnest effort, the exercise
of correct business principles and fair dealing with
all men, won the prosperit3' which is but the just
reward of the labors which he has put forth. He
is highly regarded by those who know him, and the
confidence [ilaced in his bank is attested by a lib-
eral patronage.

^ HARLES M. THOMPSON is a prominent
farmer and stock-raiser of Liberty Town-
ship, Jefferson County, residing on section
26. His practical, yet progressive ideas, his en-
ergy and enterprise, make his business a successful
one and place him in the front rank among the
leading farmers of the communit}'. He was born
in Highland County, C>hio, September 9, 1833,
and is a son of Jeremiah and Abigail (Hart)
Thompson. His father was born in Chatham
County, N. C. in the 3 ear 18(10, and when a lad of
thirteen summers accompanied his jiarents to Ohio,
where he pursued his vocation of farming, from
which he allowed himself to lie diverted at times
in the interest of his party, the Democratic, that
he might attend to the duties of office several times

372

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

(ionferrerl upon him by his fellow citizens. At
length he determinerl to seek a home further west
and on the 24th of March, 18.50, landed in Jeffer-
son County, Iowa, lie |)urchased the place known
as the Cameron farm, comprising one hundred
and sixty acres of cleared land and eighty acres of
timlier land. Here he led a peaceful life, taking a
deep, yet unobtrusive interest in all the pulilic
affairs of the community. It was largely through
his efforts tliat the Birraingliam Lodge of Odd Fel-
lows was organized. Death closed his earthly pil-
griiiiage. which had been a happy and useful one,
July .0. 1875. His wife still survives him. Their
marri.age was celebrated in Ohio, and tlieir union
was blessed with the following children, eleven t>f
whom are still living: William II., now of Cali-
fornia; Charles M. of this sketch ; Jackson; Eliz.i-
betli; James Riley; Nancy; Mary E. who died in
1880, leaving a family of five children; Lewis
Ilarvej'; Joseph: Louisa; Jlartha Jane and George
Newton.

Charles M. Thompson accompanied his parents to
Iowa when a young man of seventeen years and
has made his home in Jefferson County continu-
ously since. After receiving the advantages of
education afforded by tlie public schools, our sub-
ject, following the path marked out for him by
his father, devoted himself to the cultivation of
the soil in which he has been remarkably successful.
He choose for a companion on life's journey Miss
Sarah Jane ]N'et!nire, their union being celebrated
on the lytli of March, 1854. Eleven children
came to make glad the home of the worthy couple,
namely: J.ames Bent(jn; Silas Madison; Elrastus
Emery, who dieil in 18C9; Ellen ; Minnie; Avery
R. ;Omer; Cora who died in 18G1); Walter; Simon
and Clark. Ellen is the wife of Samuel G. Clark
and resides in Kansas; Minnie is the wife of
James McGuire, a prosperous farmer of Kansas;
Silas is now engaged in teaehing school in Faij--
field, Clay County, Kan., having completed the
course of study of Oskaloosa College; Avery is a
master car|)enter at Denver, Col.; and Omer is su-
perintendent of a large farm in California. The
mother of this family was called to her final rest in
1880, and her death was the occasion of sincere
regret on the pi'rt of a large circle of friends. She

was an exemplary member of tlie Christian Church.

The years 1855 and 1856, Mr. Thompson leased
and farmed the Hutledge homestead, the widowed
owner of which was the motlier of Annie Rutledge,
the first love of Aliraham Lincoln. The union of
the young cou|)le was thwarted by the death of
the lady, an event which at the time nearly de-
throne<l the reason of the 3'oung lawyer who was
destined to afterwards fill such an illustrious place
in the history of our nation.

On the 15th of December, 1886, Mr. Thompson
was again married, his second union being with
Miss Clara Mealey, daughter of James and Anna
Mealey, who were earl}' settlers of Keokuk County
but are now deceased. The lady is also a niece of
the well known practitioner. Dr. Mealey, of Pleasant
Plain. Mr. Tl)0in|)S0n Is a zealous and faithful
member of the Christian Church and his wife is a
follower of the Presbyterian faith. His business
career has been one of marked prosperity and is an
example of what may be accomplished by energy,
industry and sagacity. He has become the owner
of a farm of four hundred and forty acres where
may be seen all the m ,dern im|)rovements, a cora-
fortahle home l.astefully furnished, good barns and
some of the finest stock to lie found in Iowa; two
imported Percheron Norman horses, especially
demanding mention, as well as some thirty head of
thoroughbred and high grade cattle now in his
possession. In the past, Mr Thompson has taken
an exceptionally keen interest in the growth and
success of the county fair. He was largely instru-
mental in the organization, was for twelve years
a member of the Board of Directors and his exhibits
at the same have often secured for him the highest
premiums. He is a Prohibiticmist politically and
although he is well informed on all political issues,
as ever}' American citizen should be, lie has never
desired the honors or emoluments of public office.
However, he has served several terms as school
director, a position that has afforded him an op-
portunity to aid in the improvement and enlarge-
ment of educational facilities. When called from
this life, few men can leave a better or more hon-
orable record behind them than the subject of this
sketch — a man esteemed throughout the community
for his uprightness anil sterling worth. Ipouthe

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

question of secret societies Mr. Thompson is an
out anrt out opponent of .all orders, lielieving and
advocating the idea tliat tliey are detrimental to
Christianity and the best interests of society in
aeneral.

1/ OHN BISHOP, one of the prosperous farmers
of Liberty Townsiiip. .Tefferson County, was
one of six cliildren born unto Sylvester and
I Rachel (Barker) Bishop. His father, who
followed tlie occupation of farming throughout his
entire life, was a native of West Virginia, and in
that Stale was married in 1S2L The following
year he emigrated to Ohio, but afterward returned
to his native State, where he spent five years, when
he again emigrated westward. Making a location
in the Buckeye State, he lived the life of a farmer,
and at the close of an upright and useful caiecr
was called to his final home in 18.>). On the
mother's side we hear of the grandfather serving
with credit in the War of 1812.

John Bishop, wluise name heads this sketch, was
born on the 22d of September, 1826, and grew to
manhood in his native State — Ohio, where he ac-
quired a common-school education. Having at-
tained to years of manhood, he started out to seek
his fortune, and in 1850 made a location in
Van Buren County, Iowa. Four years later the
death of his father occurred and the management
of the oil' homestead then tlevolved upon his
brother ririch,but he survived only a short time and
John then returned to his old home and brought
with him to Iowa his widowed mother and Payton
and Mary, his brother and sister. The other mem-
bers of the family, Hiram, Sylvester and Catheriije,
were already residents of the State, and now the en-
tire family were gathered together in Van Buren
County. The mother long survived her husband,
dying in 1876, at the advanced age of eighty-one
years.

In his youth John Bisho|) had learned the tr.ade
of carpentering, which ho followed as a means of

livelihood fur almiil live vears after his arrival in
Iowa, when, in lsr)8, he purchased land and turned
his attention to farming. In 1868 he purchased
his present farm, then comprising two hundred
acres, to which, in the spring of 1890, he added a
a one hundred and twent^'-acre tract. Well-tilled
fields, good barns and outbuildings and many im-
provements both of a useful and ornamental char-
acter indicate the thrift and enier|irise of the
owner who is now enjo3ing the results of a life of
well-directed efforts in a large and pleasantl3'-ar-
ranged home, which is furnished and surrounded
by all the comforts which go to make life worth
living.

On the 4th of March, 1854, Mr. Bishop led to
the marriage altar Miss Marj- E. Huffman, of Van
Buren County, daughter of liurk and INIary Huff-
man, the former a native of Morth Carolina and
the latter of Kentucky. Mrs. Bishop has the lumor
of being the first vvhite child born in \'an Buren
County, her birth occurring on a farm lying both
in Van Buren and Jefferson Counties, on the 8th of
January, 1838. Her parents came to Iowa in De-
cember, 18.';5G, and made their home in Ft. Madison
until March of the following j'ear, when they came
to Van Buren County, locating on the farm befora
mentioned, which continued to be their home until
the death of Mr. Huffman in 1857. Beside their
daughter Mary, that worth}' couple were the parents
of Bnrbara, James, Samuel, George, Hirt, John,
F'rederick and Robert Huffman. Five of their sons
donned the blue and fought in defense of their
country during the late war. Samuel was woundeil
at Ft. Donelson and died at home on the 22d of
March. 1862; John was the commander of Company
H, Fifth Iowa Infantry, and was in prison fifteen
months; Fred was wounded at Missionary Ridge.
Robert was taken prisoner at the same battle and
died in Andersonville Prison in 1863, after being
held in captivity for fifteen months. James was a
member of the Missouri Militia.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Bishop was blessed
with a family of nine children, but three of the
number died in infanc)-. The surviving members
of the family are Joseph Talbot, Sylvester Burk,
Ann Maria. Robert, Carl and JIary, all of whom
reside at luuno with the exce()tion of Sylvester,

374

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

who married Emma Healfl and is now a resident
of Liberty Townsliip. Carl is a oraduale of Par-
sons College, of Fairfield, and is now employed as
principal of the Libertyville Schools, while Mary,
who received an academic education, is a success-
ful teacher in the district schools.

Mr. Bishop has ever manifested a deep interest
in the cause of education and has served as a
School Director in his district. By reason of his
long residence in the county he has become an hon-
ored member of the Old Settlers Association. He
is one of the stockholders of the County Fair; in
politics he is a Republican with strong Prohibition
principles, and as a citizen he ranks among the
best.

■^•vt^-®">~*-

'\|?OHN McMILLEN,with one exception, is the
oldest resident of Birmingham, Van Buren
County. He was born near the boundary
line of counties Antrim, Armagh and Down,
Ireland, June 9, 1 808, and is a son of David and Eliz-
abeth McMillen. His grandfather was a Highland
Scotchman, his parents were both of Scotch descent
and he possesses much of the sturdiness character-
istic of that race. His father was a bleacher by
trade and followed that business during his resi-
dence on the Bann Water in the Emerald Isle.
Pleasing reports of the New World and the oppor-
tunities which it afforded its people reached him
from time to time, and at length he determined to
try his fortune in the land of the free. In 1812,
accompanied by his wife and six children, he set
sail for the United States but ere the long ocean
voyage was over one of the children had sickened
and died and w.as laid to rest beneath the waves of
the sea. The vessel reached the harbor of New
York on a certain Friday and the following day
war was declared with Great Britain. Mr. McMillen
and his family continued their journey to Harris-
burg, and from there to Washington County, Pa.,
on pack horses, where he and his wife spent the
remainder of their lives. They were highly re-

spected people and members of the Secedcrs'
Cluireh. Our subject has but one sister now living
— Mrs. Isabella Ralston, who I'esides in CLaj'sville,
Washington County, Pa., being now about ninety
years of age.

John McMillen spent his l)oyhood days at work
upon his father's farm and in attendance at the
common schools where he acquired a fair educa-
tion. Like a dutiful son he worked for his parents
until twenty-five years of .age. On the 28tli of
February, 1S;33, he was united in marriage with
Miss Jane ^NlciMillen, who was born in Washington
County, Pa., about 1810, and was a very distant
relative of his. He then turned his .attention to
the cultivation of the old farm, which he continued
to operate until 1855, when, following the course
of emigration which was steadily drifting west-
ward, he landed in ^'an P>iiren County, Iowa. For
a time he engaged in farming north of Birmingham
but in 1805 he changed his occupation and started
upon the road as traveling salesman for William
Elliott, dealer in agricultural implements, with
whom he remained some fifteen years, since which
time he has been engaged in the implement business
for himself. He has sold all kinds of meichandise
in that line from a clothes wringer to a poi table
steam sawmill. He was verj' successful as a s.ales-
man, oftentimes his sales in one jear amounting
to some $20,000 worth of machinerj'.

Mrs. McMillen died in November, 1856. Unto
them were born six children, of whom three are
now living — David who succeeds his father in the
implement business in Birmingham; Margaret at
home; and Elizabeth who is a teacher of much
abilit}'. For eighteen years in succession she has
held the iiosition of primary teacher in the Bir-
mingham schools, being univeisall}' liked.

Previous to 1860, Mr. McMillen was a supporter
of Democratic principles, but in that year he became
a Republican and in many elections cast his ballot
in its support, but since the rise of the Prohibition
party, has connecteil himself with the latter body.
He and all his family are members of theL'nited
Presbyterian Church. He was married in 1862 to
Mary Borland, who died in 1875. T'hough eighty-
t.vo j'ears of age Mr. McMillen is bright in mind
and retains well his physical vigor. In Birmingham,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

375

not to know him argues oneself unknown, and his
many friends esteem and respect him for a life
characterized liy honorahle purpose and worthy
motives.

II^SE

I Oil's SPIELMAN. Among the worthy pio-
neers of Jefferson County, no one is more
worthy of honoralile mention in this volume
than he whose name heads this sketch. While
of foreign birth and education he was capable of
adapting himself to the conditions peculiar to the
opening ui) and settlement of a new country. He
not only secured a good home for his family but
was the means of aiding hundreds of others in a
wise selection of lands for future homes.

Mr. Spielman was born in Baden, Germany, on
the 18th of August, 1808, was reared and etiucated
in his native land and tlicrc learned the trade of a
weaver. At the age of twenty years he emigrated
to America and for a short time resided in Balti-
more, Md. From there he removed to Frederick
City of the same State, where in December, 1829,
he was united in marriage with Miss Saloma Berge,
a daughter of Christian Berge, and a native of the
town of Lichtenau, Province of Byriara, Bavaria,
who came to America on the same vessel on which
her future liusband was a (tassenger.

Mr. Spielman was eraplo3'ed in a packing house
in Frederick City until 1830, when he removed to
Columbus, Ohio, where he purchased a tract of
land and became a market gardener. What was
then his farm is now comprised within the city
limits of Columbus. His union with Miss Berge
was there blessed by the birth of two sons and two
daughters. In the early spring of 1840, accom-
panied by his family, he set out for the Territory
of Iowa, the then far western borderland of civili-
zation. They traveled by boat on the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers and laiirled in Burlington on the
1st of May. After a brief stay at that place the}-
proceeded to Blooraington, now Muscatine, Iowa,
but after a short time returned to Burlington, and
on the 1st of June following, came to Jefferson

County, locating in Walnut Townshi|). on section
32, where Mr. Spiehnan pre-empted a tract of land
and matle a home for his wife and children. The
family circle was afterward extended, six children,
five daughters and one son being added to those be-
fore mentioned. Lewis, the oldest of the family,
married Matilda Otterbien, followed farming in
pursuit of fortune and continued his residence in
Walnut Township until his death, which occurred
in March. 1876; John A., the second son, is men-
tioned elsewhere in this vvork; Saruh died in New
London, Henry County, in 1855; Mary who was
the youngest of those born in Ohio, died during
infancy in Bnrlington, in May, 1S40, soon after the
family had reached that city. The next child, who
was also given the name of Mary, became the wife
of William J. Clarke, and died in Fairfield in 1878;
Caroline married Michael Graff and resides on the
old home farm ; Amelia is the wife of James M.
Ileaton, a member of the McConnell Mercantile
Company of Burlington ;,Christina died at the age
of nineteen )'ears; Fred, who was a member of
Company D, Seventeenth Iowa Infantry, died in
the hospital in Corinth, Miss., September 1, 1862,
at the age of eighteen years; Maggie was also eight-
een years of age at the time of her death; Louisa,
the youngest of the family, is the wife of M. A.
Repass, agent of the American Ex[>ress Company
in Fairfield.

Mr. Spielman continued farming until the winter
of 1864, when he removed to Fairfield anii joined
his son, John A., in the hanlware business. In
1876, he laid aside all business cares and for nearly
thirteen years lived in easy retirement. His death
occurred on June 8, 1889, at the old home farm in
Walnut Township, where he had settled almost
half a centurv bafore. It ha|)pened that he caught
a severe cold while on a visit to his chiidren in
Walnut Township, and was unable to retnrn to
Fairfield. He was eighty-one years of age at his
death and had he lived until the succeeding No-
vember would have been marriedsixty years. He
was rugged and healthy uji'.to his lastj illness and
maintained his mental faculties unimpaired. His
wife still survives him .'Uid resides in Fairfield, and
although not physically strong for some years past,*
1 is'yet well preserveil. Although eighty-one years of

376

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

age, her hair is still untouched with the gray that
generally dlstinguisbes those of her advanced
years. The greater part of her life has been spent
as a follower of Christ, she being a devout nieinlier
of the Lutheran Churcli and a consistent Cliristian
woman. She has proved a devoted and loving
wife and mother and her kindness and good example
cultivated the affdctions of her children, so that tlie
family ties have always bound them strongly to-
gether.

On coming to this county in the days of its early
settlement, Mr. Spielman readily adapted himself
tj the conditions of a life on the frontier, learned
the descriptions of land anl was well informed in
regsrd to the locations of lands open to entry and
the system in force in acquiring title. He had a
Ijrother who was a minister of the Lutheran Church
and President of Capital University, of Columbus,
Ohio, wlio diipcted many of his countrymen and
otiiers. who were emigrating to Iowa to seek his
brother John in Jefferson County. For these and
many besides, Sir. Spielman sought locations and
aided tliem in securing land. LTncle John, as he
H-.as familiarlj- called, was viddely known and highly
esteemed for his open hospitality and genial, kindly
ways. He was a Whig in early life and his family
had had the honor of entertaining Gen. William
Henry ilarrison, while that illustrious soldier and
statesman was a candidate for the Presidency. In
1836, Mr. Siiielman cast his first vote for the Gen-
eral as did tile three other voters of his family in
tlie country. When Benjamin Harrison became a
candidate for the Presidency there were twent\'-
eight Spielman voters, lineal descendants of the
original four, and although living separated and
without preconcerted action, all voted for the
grandson. At Mr. Spielman's home in Walnut
Township some of the most prominent Republican
statesmen of Iowa were frequent guests; Grimes,
Gear, Wilson, Harlan and others partook of his
hospitality. In matters of education and religion
he was an earnest worker and was among the fore-
most and most liberal supporters of schools and
churches. He organized the first Evangelical
Church in Jefferson County, and was the leading
spirit in building the first church there and organ-
ized the first Sunday-School. For many years the

churcli was known as the Spielman Church and the
school house of his district still bears his name.
Mr. Spielman was gifted with strong social and
benevolent symyathies and won the friendship and
regard of all who knew him. While an earnest
partisan he was never ambitious to fill public office
and only accepted some minor ones. He lived a
useful and upright life, was true to every legal and
moral obligation and died at a ripe old age, leaving
only friends to mourn his loss.

ENRY MOHR, deceased, an early settler of
"lYj Fairfield, Jefferson County, of 1858, was

born in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pa.,
in 1808, and was a son of Peter Mohr. As
the name indicates the family is of German origin,
but little is known of its estriblishment in America.
Our subject having arrived at years of maturity,
chose as a companion on life's journey Miss An-
gelina Schoener, wdio was also a ni'tive of the Key-
stone State. Mr. Mohr then turned his attention to
agricultural pursuits, continuing the same in his
native State until 1858, when, following the course
of human emigration which was stiaiily drifting
westward, he became a resident of Iowa. After
spending one year in Fairfield he then removed to
a farm in Fairfield Township, Jefferson Count}',
and resuming his chosen occu|)ation spent the last
years of his life on the old homestead, his death
occurring in 1877. Mrs. Mohr, a most estimable
lad}- is now living in Fairfield.

This worthy couple were parents of a family of
six children, consisting of three sons and three
daughters. Henry P., the eldest, who is employed
as a conductor on the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad, married Charlotte Curry and re-
sides in Burlington, Iowa; Richard J. wedded
ISIartha Collier and is living in Passadena, Cal.,
where he is engaged in tlie practice of medicine;
Mary, the next younger died at the age of twelve
years; Sarah J. makes her home in Burlington,
Iowa; Emma is the wife of W, H. Ilufstedler, of

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

377

Fairfield; William H. maniert Lettie J. Dewey and
is a leaiiiiiu' ftiriiilure dealer of Faiilield, whose
sketch appears oil another page of this work; Mrs.
Mohr is a member of the ^lethodist Episcopal
Church, as was also her husband. In political sen-
timent he was a supporter of Republican princi-
ples. Mr. Mohr was regarded as one of the most
upright, conscientious men in Jefferson County.
Kind hearted and generous to a fault, his aid was
never solicited in vain and at his death the poor
and needy felt that they had imleed lost a friend.
He enjoyed the warmest esteem and regard of all
who knew him and his death was the occasion of
deep regret on the part of many.

^s^^m^^^

S) S. GOULD, a farmer of Union Township,
. -, Van Buren County, residing on Section 19,

Ipj . o

y — -^ was born on a farm in Franklin County,
Ohio, on the 1st of November, 1831, and is a son
of Samuel and Mary (Livingston) Gould, natives
of AVashington County, N. Y., the former born in
October, 1804, and the latter August 15, 1800.
The.y were married in the Empire State, and in
1827 removed to Franklin County, Ohio, where
they experienced all the toil and hardships incident
to hewing out a " farm from the midst of a heavy
beech and oak forest. The trials of i)ioneer life
became familitir to them, and in a measure fitted
them for a similar experience in Iowa, where they
arrived in the autumn of 184G. They located in
Lick Creek Township, Van Buren Count}', where
during the remainder of their lives they continued
to make their homes, exerting an influence for good
in the comraunit}' which has not yet ceased to have
its effect. Both were life-long members of the
United Presbyterian Church, and gave liberally of
their means to the support of the Gospel. For
many jears he was a Ruling Elder. Politically he
was a Whig until the rise of the anti-slavery party,
when, his sympathies reaching out to the oppressed
of every class and especially to those held down
by the galling chains of servitude, he took an ac

live part in the promotion of the scheme which
came tO be known as the Underground Railroad.
He considered it wrong that a man should be de-
prived of his property without com|)ensation, but
he accounted it a far greater wrong that' men
should be deprived of their God-given liberty
without their consent. He voted for James G.
Birney, the Abolition candidate, and continued to
support that party until it was merged into the Re-
l)ublican party, with which he thenceforth identi-
fied himself. He died March 24, 1873, and his
wife died April 24, 1879. In their family were
five children: Mrs. Agnes Lindsay and Mrs. H.
Boone reside in Van Buren County; Mrs. Marga-
ret C. Baird is living in Madison Count}', Iowa;
and Mrs. Mary A. Graham makes her home in La-
mar, Col.

E. S. Gould, the other member of the family,
and the only son yet living, was the second in
order of birth, and in the usual manner of farmer
lads the daj's of his boyhood and youth were
spent. Mid play and work his time was divided,
and in the pioneer school-room of that day he ac-
quired a limited education. A marriage ceremony
performed on the 1st of December, 1851), united
his destiny with that of Miss Rebecca Brownfield,
a native of Decatur County, Ind., born April 5th,
1840, and a daughter of Robert and Sfirah (Price)
Brownfield, whose residence in this county dates
from 1847. Upon their marriage they settled upon
the farm where they still reside, and ten children
came to gladden the home by their presence, of
whom seven are yet living — Agnes, wife of W. L.
Carson, a resident of Van Buren Count}'; Emma,
Cora, John, Ruth, Orpha and Robert, who are yet
with their parents.

Farming has been the life work of Mr. Gould,
and he is now the owner of a rich tract of land of
one hundred and ninety-seven and one-half acres,
which is under a high state of cultivation and
well improved. He also raises a good grade of
stock, and hu barns and outbuildings, necessary to
the care of the same, are in keeping with the ad-
vanced ideas of the nineteenth century. Politic-
ally, he was a strong anti-slavery advocate before
the war, and his services were often called into req-
uisition in transporting passengers on the Under-

878

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ground Uailroad, and. althoiigli only a youth, be
felt Uiat lie had a part to play in "setting the cap-
tive free." He is a warm advocate of prohibition
as a party movement, is a valued citizen, and one
\viK> manifests a commendable interest in such en-
terprises as are calculated to upbuild the commu-
nity and i)romote the general welfare.

.^t»-;»^iS^^Htf5«f-«C5«f-.

RANKLIN B. HUNTZINGER, who was
formerly a prominent miller of Fairfield,
Jefferson County, but is now living a re-
tired life, dates his residence in this citj' from 1856,
and in the thirty-four years which have since
elapsed he has ever been numbered amorg the wide-
awake and enterprising business men of the count}'.
He was born in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County,
Pa., February 17, 1820, and is of German descent,
although his parents, Jacob and Susan (Ivoch)
lluntzinger, were also natives of the Ke3stone
State. His father made merchandising his life oc-
cupation and served as associate justice of the court
of common pleas. He was also Colonel of a regi-
ment in the War of 181 2, and was a worthy and
respected citizen.

The subject of this sketch learned the habits and
methods of business life in his father's employ, but
the success which has crowned his labors is due al-
most entirel}' to his own efforts. He had followed
milling only one year before coming to Iowa, hut
his thirty-three years experience in this State made
him master of the business. On his arrival in Jef-
ferson County, he built the second mill ever erec-
ted in Fairfield. He also built two other mills in the
city, a third in Batavia and a fourth in Washington
County. He operated the last named for seven
years but during that time made his home in Fair-
field. He met with difficulties, his progress being
impeded by two losses, one caused by the burning
of one of his mills, while the second mill was
washed away, yet he pressed on, overcoming all
such obstacles until at last having acquired a com-
fortable competence he is enabled to lay aside

business cares and spend his remaining days in
retirement. He sold his last mill April 1, 1889, to
his son-in-law, F. W. Vorhees.

Mr. Huntzinger was married on July 12, 1842,
to Miss Sarah Rudy, a daughter of John and Maria
(Boyer) Rud}'. The family is of German descent
and both parents and daughter were born in the
Keystone State. Mr. and Mrs. Huntzinger became
parents of eight children, two sons and six daugh-
ters as follows : Phffibe E., widow of Joseph P.
Davis, now living in Des Moines; Caroline, widow
of Benjamin H. Sharpe, makes her home in Fair-
field ; Valeria is the wife of W. H. Axline.of Harlan,
Iowa; Arabella A. is the wife of J. A. Unkrich, of
Fairfield ; Libby Catlierine wedded Frank A. Jones
and with her husband resides in Omaha; Robert
Rudy died at the age of twenty-seven years; John
Franklin married Ella Shuert, of Omaha, Neb.;
Maggie is the wife of Frank W. Vorhees, a miller
of Fairfield.

In political sentiment, Mr. Huntzinger is a Re-
publican and a strong advocate of prohibition
principles. He would never accept public office,
preferring to devote his time and attention to his
business interests and the enjoyment of his home
rather tlian to political contests. Both he and his
wife are members of the Lutheran ICvaugelical
Church. They reared a good family and are most
worthy people. Mr. Huntzinger has been an in-
dustrious, steady business man, enterprising and
successful and it is with pleasure that we record
this brief sketch of himself and family who
justly rank among the best citizens of Jefferson
County.

-^

.-•-^ir^^sr

•^ lilLLIAM M. HUFSTEDLER. of the firm
\fj/i ^^ Risk, Hufstedler & Whitliam, was born
W'i in Parke County, Ind., on the 2d of Au-
gust, 1843, and on the paternal side is of German
descent, while on the maternal side the famil}' is of
Scotch origin. His parents, Martin and l\Iary
(Kirkham) Hufstedler, were natives of Kentucky
and Ohio, respectively.

PORTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

379

The subject of this sketch became'a resident of
Koosnuqun, Iowa, in 1850. His father" following
agricultural pursuits, duriugfiiis youth he spent his
summer months in aiding him in liie labors of the
farm and during the winter ^season attended the
common schools of the neighborhood. When a lad
of nineteen 3'ears he resi)onded to his country's call
for triiops, enlisting in Company C, Twenty-fifth
Iowa Infantrj% in August, 1862. He served three
j-ears as a non-commissioned officer and'' partici-
pated in many famous battles and sieges of the war.
He was with Sherman at the first attack made on
\'icksburg, later participated in the battle 'of Ar-
kansas Post and at that place was wounded in the
shoulder b}- a glancing shell. This caused his lay-
ing aside all duty for six weeks, but at the end of
that time he rejoined his regiment. During the
siege of Vicksburg he was for forly-six days in the
pits and was present at the capture of that citj'.
He also took part in the battles of Jackson, Mis-.,
Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Ciiatta-
nooga, Resaca, Dalton, Corinth, Kenesaw Moun-
tain and several minor engagements. Atone time
lameness caused him to again take a much-needed
rest, but on his recovery he joined Sherman's army
at Kingston, N. C. He then remained witli his
command until the close of tiie war, wlien he was
mustered out at Washington City, after participat-
ing in tiie Grand Review in May, 1805.

On his return from the army, where he had faith-
fL lly served his country for three .years, Mr. Ilnfs-
tedler located in Fairfield. His education had been
interrupted by his enlistment and on his return he
attended a private school. Not desiring to follow
the pursuit to which he had been reared, he en-
gnged as a salesman with Maj. J. W. Moore, dealer
in groceries, hats and caps. A year later lie bought
a half-interest in the business, but the night after
his purchase the store with nearly all its contents
was destroyed by fire. Hardly anything remained
and Mr. Hiifstedler was foued to resort to his
former cm ploj'ment of clerking. He secured a po-
sition with Wells, Sterver & Averill, one of the
oiliest mercantile houses of Fairfield and remained
with that firm until 1873, when on the 18lh of
t,'eptember of that year he joined C. C. Risk in his
preent business. The firm coiitinuerl operations

under the style of Risk ife Hufstedler until 1882,
,when Mr. Whitham"[was admitted to partnership
and the firm name changed to Risk, Hufstedler &
Whitham.

On the 17th of 'June,' 1875, Mr. Hufstedler mar-
ried Miss Enima'Mohr, their union being celebrated
in'Fairfield,' where their entire married life h.asbeen
passed. The lady is a native of Pottsville, Pa.,
and a daughter of Henry Molir. Both are mem-
bers of the Congregational Church, and in political
sentiment Mr. Hufstedler is a Republican. He is
an enterprising and;]successful; business man, re-
spected by all who know him, aiKrthe firm of which
he is a member takes front rank^among the mercan-
tile establishments located in; "the county seat of
Jefferson County.

-s»j^.«-J»»^.-^*^^.^^<5«^ .^g5e^

<| MLLIAM ALBERT WILCOXON, the pop-
\/\J/l ular photographer of Bonaparte, is a native
W^ of Indiana. He was born in Delaware
County, that State, on tlie 9th of December, 1858,
and is a son of Horatio Wilcoxon. His father died
when he was a mere babe, only two years old, and
he then went to live with his uncle, John William-
son, who brought him to Iowa. He made a location
in Bonaparte Township, Van Buren County, where
our subject was reared to manhood, spending the
days of his boyhood and youth in the usual man-
ner of farmer lads. His education was acquired in
the district schools of the neighborhood, which he
attended only during the winter season as his
services were needed on the farm during the sum-
mer months, but on reaching years of maturity he
decided to make his life work some other profession
or occupation than that which had engrossed his
attention during boyhood. AVith a view of learn-
ing his present business, he came to Bonaparte in
the spring of 1880 and entered the photograph
gallery of Levi Henry, who instructed him in the
methods of the art. After mastering the business,
he continued with Mr. Henry as an employe for
some years, when in the autumn of 1889, he bought

380

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

out the business and began life for liimself. Little
more than a year has passed j'et he has now a lib-
eral patronage and his business is constantly in-
creasing-, a fact which gives evidence of the thor-
ougliness and ph'asing manner in which his work is
done.

In the year 1.S82 iSIr. Wilcoxon was united in
the holy l)onds of matrimony with iliss Mary .1.
IMaddcn, daughter of Thomas Madden, one of
the early settlers and a prominent farmer of
Van Burcn Coniitj', now deceased. The lad^' is a
member of the Presbyterian C'luirch ami in the
community where she has so long made her home
has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. A
little daughter graces their union — Edith Ma}'. In
political sentiment, Mr. Wilcoxon is a supporter of
Ke[)ublican prinri|i!es. In speaking of him in the
beginning of this sketch wo used the aiijective pop-
ular. He is popular botli in the line of his work
and in social circles. An agreeable companion,
intelligent and entertaining, he has won the high
regard of all with whom he has been brought in
contact.

>r^«<-' - — »-t<^"i:^

ul felLLIAM F. EDMONDSON. Cashier of
\/\/// *''^*^ Citizens' Bank of Milton, and an early
V^/W settler of Van Buren County, Iowa, was
born in Henry County, Ind,, September 16, 1845,
his |iarents being William and Mary B.
(McCutclian) Edmondson. During his infancy, in
the spring of 18-10, the familj- removed to Van
Buren Countj-, Iowa, and on his father's farm in
Jackson Township, he was reared to manhood,
spending his time in the usual manner of farmer
lads. In the schools of the neighborhood he ac-
quired a good English education and like a dutiful
son, he assisted Ins father until the latter's death.
From that time until 1880, he continued with his
brother, John C, on the farm, when he went
to California, lie spent al)out a year and a half
in Windsor, a i)art of the time in mercantile bus-

iness. He then spent some seven months in San
Francisco. At the expiration of that period he
returned to Iowa, locating in Milton, where he
has since resided.

Mr. Edmondson, on the 'Jth of May, 1872, in
^'an Buren County, was joined in wedlock with
Miss Clara, daughter of Joseph and Hannah
Williamson, and a native of Davis County, Iowa,
born on the "ioth of April, 18.54. Her parents
were among the early pioneers of Van Buren
County, and her father helped to build the first
house in Farmington. His sketch appears else-
where in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Edmondson
are the parents of two children. Gilbert M. and
William G. The first naoied was born in Oak
Point, Iowa, March 23, 1873, and is now a student
in Parsons College, of P'airfield. He has been as-
sistant Postmaster and clerk in the Milton office for
four jears; also assistant Postmaster at Manitou
Springs Col., for a year, and won much praise for
his courteous and prom|)t discharge of duty. He
is an earnest Republican and for so young a man
remarkably well informed concerning the political
history of the countr}-. During the late campaign
he made several political speeches which were well
received and his friends are justly proud of his
success and hope much for his future. William G.,
the younger son, was born in t)ak Point, November
30, 1875. and is the present assistant to his mother
who is Postmistress of Milton, and is deservedly
popular for his faithful discharge of dut^'.

On his return from California, Mr. Edmondson
spent the succeeding three years in the employ of
the Milton Creamery, as their engineer and book-
keeper. On the 1st of February, 1886, he was
appointed Postmaster of that city, under President
Cleveland's administration, which position lie held
until April, 1889, proving an efficient and faithful
officer and at the expiration of tliat time was
succeeded by his wife who is a pronounced Repub-
lican in her political views and whose efficient ser-
vice, while assisting her husband during his term
of office, had won the warm interest of the best
citizens of Milton. It was said that this lad3''s
petition was generally signed and tlie a[)pointment
given her before the politicians, who weie engin-
eering the appointment of one of their number,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

3.S3

knew what was going on. It is probably the only
case on record in the State where a Republican
wife succeeded a Democratic husband in the post-
office. Mrs. Edmondson's administration of the
affairs of the office has been such as to commend
her to the good wishes of those representing the
postal department, and to win the confident opinion
of her fellow citizens that theirs is one of the best
managed offices in the State.

On the 1st of September, 1889, Mr. Edmondson
was appointed Cashier of the Citizens' Bank of
Milton, which position he now holds. His conserv-
ative and careful management of the affairs of
the bank commands the respect and confidence of
its proprietors and patrons. The citizens of
Jackson Township have elected .Mr. Kdmondson
to the office of Township Clerk seven times, five of
which were in sucession. In their religious views
he and his wife are Methodists, ai"e consistent mem-
bers of that church and their sons have been reared
in the same belief. ^The family holds a high |)0-
sition in the social world and is widely known.

€•*$«-

V\

^^ APT. ABRAM IIINKLE, a leading farmer
l( _ and stock-raiser of \'illage Township, Van
'^^(^ Buren County, was born in Pendleton
County, Va., July 1, 18;55, and is a son of Esau
and Leah (Harper) Hinkle. The Hinkle family is
of German origin, and tiic name was formerly
spelled Henkle. The great-grandfather of our sub-
ject, Abraham llinkle, was a Lutheran preacher,
and was born soon after the arrival of his parents
in the United States, the family settling in Virginia.
The grandfatlier, Capt. Michael Hinkle, was for a
time a minister of the INlethodist Episcopal Church,
but later became a Universalist. His title was ac-
quired from service in the War of 1812, and he was
a wealthy farmer of Virginia, owning many slaves.
He married Saiah Judy, and unto them were born
eight children. In his community, Capt. Hinkle
was a leading citizen, and in politics was an Old
Line Wliig. He ilicd iluriiig tlie late war, at the

extreme old age of one hundred and one years, and
in his will made a provision that his negroes should
never be sold, and thus forced to leave their county.
The father of our subject was born in Virginia, in
179.5, was an extensive farmer and stock -raiser, and
had a wide reputation as an energetic and capable
business man. He married Miss Harper, who was
born in Virginia, in 1800, and whose people were
advocates of freedom, as were the parents of our
subject, who supported the Union during the late
war. They made Virginia tlieirhome during their
entire lives, but the mother, who was a member of
the Methodist Episcopal Ciuirch for sixty years,
died in Kansas, w^hile theie on a visit in 1876.
Mr. Hinkle died in his native State, in 1888. He was
a Universalist in religious belief, and a Whig and
Republican in political sentiment. During the war
he was taken prisoner by the rebels, but tlirough the
influence of friends was released, tlK)ugh he lost all
he hail. In the famil}' of this worthy couple were
twelve children, seven of whom are yet living,
namel}- : Mrs. Mar^' Haigler, of Colorado; Sarah,
living on the old homestead in Virginia; Abi'am of
this sketch; Isaac, of Iowa; Mrs. Emily Phares, of
Harrisburg, Va. ; Mrs. Ellen Harper, of Monticello,
Kan.; and Amb}', of Cottonwood Falls, Kan.

Capt. Hinkle, whose name heads this sketch, was
reared on a farm among the mountains of Virginia,
and never attended school but six months through-
out his entire life. His mother instructed him at
home, and by observation and reading he has be-
come vvell informed. He remained under the pai-
ental roof until 18o.t, when he came to Iowa, and
four years later crossed the plains with a team,
stoiiping at Pike's Peak. In the spring of 1861,
during the midst of the Rebellion he returned to
Virginia to his old home. Witli the exception of
his father, all of his relatives were in syni[)athy with
the South, even his brothers. The Ca|itain tried
to view the matter from a Southern standpoint, and
go with his friends, but in vain. Neither could he
stay at home, for men were forced to take sides, so
his father gave him one of his best horses and a
little money, and one morning, just after the battle
of Rich IMountain, he bade farewell to his parents,
and the next day reported himself at the head-
quarters of Gen. McCUellan, then in couiuiand of

884

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the federal forces, who was so much impressed with
his appearance and Union sentiments, that he at once
proposeil to engage liim as a scout and guide to his
army- When he left his parents he told them he
would join the Union arm^^ but as he had a brother
and brother-in law in the rebel army, the3' tried to
persuade him not to fight against his brothers, but
go North and remain silent or neutral; he told
them he felt it his duty to take sides, and that he
could not make a rebel out of himself.

On his way to join the Union forces, Capt. Ilinkle
slopped over night with a Mr. Taylor, whose beau-
tiful daughter was quite a favorite with 3'oung'
Hinkle, and who tried hard to persuade him not to
join the Union forces, now only a few miles from
her home, as her father and seven brothers were all
at that time in the rebel army. While he found it
hard to resist the entreaties of his old sweetheart,
he nevertheless went on his way. McClellan left
him in West Virginia, when he went to take com-
mand of the Union forces on the Potomac, as his
superior knowledge of the mountains, and the peo-
ple of that country, made him of great value to the
Union forces operating in the Alleghany Moun-
tains. He served for awhile as a volunteer aid on
Gen. Millroy's staff, and participated in the battles
of Cheat Mountain and McDowel, with distinction.
At Franklin, (which was Mr. Hinkle's old home).
Gen. Robert Schenck took command of the federal
forces, and to him young Hinkle was introduced by
Gen. Millro}'. and for whom he obtained informa-
tion that saved his command from being cut to
pieces by the intrepid Gen. Stonewall Jackson. A
few da_ys after this. Gen. F'reixiont arrived with an
army of 25,000 with headquarters at Franklin, only
a few miles from the Captain's father's house.
When Fremont took command. Gen. Sohenck in-
troduced young Hinkle to him, saying: "General,
here is the only Union man in this whole county,
and knows more of the country and its people, than
all of us put together." Fremont at once engaged
his services, placed him in command of all his
famous Jesse Scouts, (a company organized in Mis-
souri, and named in honor of his wife), with the
title of captain and a captain's pay, in which capa-
city he served during the war. He remained with
FreuKint until tliat officer vvns superseded by Po|)e.

He was engaged in the battle of Cross Keys, near
Harrisonburg, V'a.

We cannot give all the many incidents of the
services of our subject that are worthy a phice in
anjf history, but suffice it to say he frequently ob-
tained information upon which whole armies were
moved, and on many occasions success was due to
his knowledge of the countr}' and of the enemy, ob-
tained in a way known to himself (and perhaps one
or two brave bo3's) onl}'. And this brave and gal-
lant young man's name would not be known in the
movements of the commands. He served under
Gen. Hunter in the same capacity, and the next
morning after the battle of Port Republic, he led a
battalion of cavahy into the town of Stanton, re-
leased about two hundred and fifty prisoners, mostly
citizens, who were incarcerated (in what they called
barracks), on account of their loyal sentiments, and
as his duty required him to be, he was always with
the advance guard, he was again sent back into
Western Virginia, where his superior knowledge of
the country in that mountainous region made his
services almost indispensable. He accompanied as
the chief guide and scout, the brave Averhill on
several of his raids inside the rebel lines; was with
him at the battle of Stoney Ford, near White Sul-
phur Springs in Virginia, where he was repulsed by
the rebel forces under Jackson, and would have
been cut entirely off, had it not been for this man's
knowledge of the country, who led them out b}' by-
roads and by-ways, and nothing official to show his
services save original letters from the many officers
with whom he served, all acknowledging his great
and valuable services.

On one occasion Capt. Hinkle started vyith ten
picked men from New Creek, where (-Jen. Latham
was in command, in the evening, and at day-light
surin-ised a company of Capt. McNeil's famous
guerrillas in the town of Moorfield. fifty miles away,
and while more than one hundred yards in advance
of all his boys charging down the street, one brave
rebel officer stood to fight and emptied the contents
of a double-barrel shot-gun at him, killing the
Captain's horse, and several of the shots taking ef-
fect in his legs, and one in his hand, which he still
carries. He extricated himself from the horse as
he fell, and ran upon and captui'od his would-be

PORTRAIT ANO BIOGRAPHICAL ALliUM.

8»S

slayer, who, by the time the horse fell, was not
more than twenty feet from the Captain, the bloofl
from his hand flowing freely. The rebel says, "My
God I have shot you." and the next moment they
recognized each other as old acquaintances. He
returned to camp with a prisoner for each man. On
another occasion he captured both his brother and
brother-in law.

Mr. Hinkle visited his father while Gen. Fremont
was near there, and while in his father's house there
was a band of rebel soldiers tried to capture him,
and would have done so, bnt for the faithful watch
of one of his father's old slaves, who saw them com-
ing, and running to the house, gave the alarm just
in time for liis young master to make his escape.
Manfully did the old darkey fight to keep them
from taking his horse and equipments, which he
was watching, while the Captain was visiting his
parents, but they took him all the same. After
Lee's surrender, he felt the war was all over, and he
at once returned to his old home, to find his father
robbed of everything he had, both armies having
camped on his farm, eating up all his cattle, and
taking all his horses. And of course the result of
the war had freed all his slaves; but acccepting the
issues of the war manfully, he at once began to
build up again, but turned over the management of
his farms to his son, the subject of our narrative,
who stocked them up. He also took a large stock of
of general merchandise, purchased in Baltimore, into
his native village (Mt. Freedom), and for twelve
months his was the only store within seventy-fire
miles of his place of business, consequentlj' he did
an immense business.

In the fall of 1865, Capt. Hinkle was elected to
the Legislature of West Virginia, both parties vot-
ing for him. He refused to allow his name to be
used any further, as he had no taste for politics,
bnt turned his attention exclusively to business.
However, he consented to serve his county as Su-
pervisor, which place he filled with great ability,
finding much to do, as all the public buildings of
the countj', as well as school houses, and all bridges
were destroyed during the war. He also served
seven years as Deputy United States Collector of
Internal Revenue.

On a visit to Iowa in 18G5. he met Miss Sallie F.

Jordan, the only daughter of the pioneer Indian
trader, James H. Jordan, who was born in Iowa
viile, February 8, 1844, and on Christmas Eve, 1866,
they were married. They immediately returned to
Virginia, where he carried on his mercantile busi-
ness until 1871, when he sold out, and removing
to Iowa, purchased the farm on which he now lives,
his landed possessions now are a little over eleven
hundred acres, his home farm being one of the
finest in the county, if not in the State. He en-
gaged extensively in the business of breeding Short-
horn cattle, and his herds won many premiums,
both at State and county fairs. When it was dis-
persed in 1888, it was the largest individual herd
in the State. On the death of his wife he quit that
business, but is now extensively engaged in rais-
ing horses and cattle, and ranks as not only the
largest, but one of the most practical farmers in the
county, and is looked upon as one of the most thor-
ough going wide-awake business men of his county.
In 1883, Mrs. Hinkle was taken with consump-
tion; her husband traveled with her extensively,
and she spent two winters in New Mexico, hoping
that the change of climate would prove beneficial,
but death claimed her for his own on February 10,
1888, leaving six children : Lora J., Arthur, Harry,
Nellie B., May, and Irwin. Nellie died at the age
of sixteen j-ears, and Irwin at six. Mr. Hinkle has
been a life-long Republican, but can no longer
tolerate the protection tariff, and is now Indepen-
dent. In the fullest sense of the word he is a self-
made man, and deserves an honorable place among
the representative men of his county and State.

-^-*-^-

^^EORGE ALBERT DROZ, a farmer residing

ill

p on section 17, Cedar Township, Jefferson

Count}', is the son of John P. and Mary P.

(Rives) Droz. His parents were both natives of

Alsace, France, and unto them were born two sons,

one of whom died in his native land. In April,

1847, accompanied by young George, who was

born in Alsace, March 3, 1836, Mr. and Mrs. Droz

386

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

sailed from Havre to New Orleans, reaching the
latter city after a voyage of sixty-one days. They
then proceeded up the Mississiiipi to St. Louis, near
where, for some five years, Mr. Droz engaged in his
life occupation, farming. Tiie year 1851 witnessed
liie arrival of himself and family in Jefferson
County, where he purchased the farm upon wliioh
our subject yet makes his home. It continued to
be (lis place of abode until called to the lietter land
at the age of seventy-seven years. Ilis wife, who
like her husband, was a member of the Catiiolic
Cliurch, died at the age of seventy-three years. In
politics, Mr. Droz was a Democrat.

The subject of this sketch, now a progressive and
influential farmer of Cedar Townsliip, was educated
in tl\e schools of his native land, but after his ar-
rival in America, he secured some P^nglish text
books, and familiarized himself with the American
tongue. He ims now a fair knowledge of both lan-
guages, and is a well-informed man, who keeps
abreast of the times in everything of public in-
terest. His knowledge of the French language has
proved of great advantage to him as an interpreter
in the courts.

On the 30th of July, 1857, BIr. Droz was joined
in wedlock with Mary V. Rainiche, who was also a
native of Alsace, France, born Februar}- 27, 1838.
Some sixteen years later, she accompanied her
mother and brother to this country, the family lo-
cating in Jefferson County, Iowa. Her father died
in his native land.

Beginning their domestic life on the farm which
is still their home, their union was there blessed
with a family of ten children, who in the order of
birth are as follows: Louis J., George E., Francis
M.; Mary G., wife of John Roth; John P., who is
employed as a salesman in Denver, Colo.; Joseph
C, Philomene E., Adolpli, Marie A., and Marie V.
With tlie exception of tl-.e two children above
specially mentioned, all are yet at home, and the
members of the family are communicants of tlie
Catholic Church.

In his political affiliations, Mr. Droz is a Demo-
crat. He cast his first Presidential vote for Stephen
A. Douglas, and since that time has never swerved
in his allegiance to the Democracy. He filled the
office of Township Assessor for two years, and has

held other minor positions. He is accounted a suc-
cessful farmer and stock-raiser, and may well be
called a self-made man. His father was the pos-
sessor of some[_$3,000 in France, but lost the entire
sum by giving it in charge of untrustworthy per-
sons when he emigrated to America. The joint
ca|>ital of father and son consisted of but S60 on
their arrival, but together they labored to retrieve
their lost propertj', and not only soon accomplished
tliat, but became possessors of much more. Mr.
Droz now owns three hundred and fift}' acres of
land all under fence, which is well cultivated and
improved with a neat and tasty dwelling and good
barns and outbuildings. His example might well
encourage others to renewed efforts, for success
comes to those who labor in the right direction,
and who are the possessors of industrious habits,
enterprise and fair business ability.

^-^-^>^^:^>k^^^y^k<-^

tf^T^iIIOMAS M. RIDER, who is engaged in farm-
f(t(^\\ ^°" °" section 3, Fairfield Township, is a
\^^' representative of one of the pioneer families
of Jefferson Couut3', his father, Capt. Daniel Rider,
having been prominently identified with the coun-
ty's history during its early days.

Our subject has spent almost his entire life in
this county. He was born November 11, 1838, in
Washington Count}', Pa., and came with his par-
ents to Iowa when a lad of eight years. He ac-
quired his education in the common schools, and
was reared to farm life. On attaining to man's es-
tate, he led to the marriage altar in Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa, on the 26th of March, 1873, Miss Belle M.
Register, daughter of Aaron H. Register, of Fair-
field Township, formerly of Washington County,
Pa., where the lady was born. Three children
grace their union, and they lost one son, who died
in infanc}'. Those living, two sons and a daugh-
ter, are Harry W., Zella B., and Warren W.

Mr. and Mrs. Rider began their domestic life upon
the farm wl)icli is still their home, and the husband
with the knowledge he acquired of the business

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

387

while under the parental roof, has met with excel-
lent success in his undertaking. He is now the
owner of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty-
nine acres, well tilled, and with excellent improve-
ments, and as the result of his industry and eut'r-
getic efforts, now takes rank among substantial
farmers of the coramunitj*. During the late war
he evinced his loyalty to the Government and
friendship for the cause, by three years of service.
Enlisting on the 2d of August, 1862, in the Sev-
enty-second Indiana Infantr}', he marched in de-
fense of the old flag until the close of the war, when
on the 6tli of July, 1865, he received his discharge.
The regiment formed part of the Army of the Cum-
berland, and with his command he took part in all
of the battles from Stone River until the fall of At-
lanta, together with many others not included in
that campaign. After having faithfuU}' served his
country for three years, he was at length honor-
ably discharged.

While in Denver, Colo., whither he had gone on
account of failing health, Mr. Rider became a mem-
ber of Veteran Grand Army Post of that city witli
which he still retains connection. In politics, he is
a Democrat, and in religious belief a Methodist.
In the community where he has so long made his
home and where he is so widely known, Thomas
Rider is highly esteemed, and those who have been
witnesses of his career since boyhood are numbced
among his slanchest friends, thus showing his life
has been an honorable and worthy one.

-1^^-

-*a*-

ENRY C. SMITH, a farmer of Cedar Town-
ship, Jefferson County, residing on section
23, is a native of Jefferson County, Ky.,
where his birth occurred on the 23d of
October, 1841. His parents were Nuby and Lydia
(Ballinger) Smith. His father, a native of North
Carolina, born November 24, 1816, accompanied
his parents to Jefferson County, Tenn., where he
became acquainted with and married Mrs. L3'dia
(Balliiiger) Frazer. The lady was born in Tou-

nessee, October 1, 1807, and by her first marriage
became the mother of two i-ons and two daughters.
The year 1841 witnessed the removal of Nuby Smith
and his family to Jefferson County, Ky., but after a
short time he made his way to Jacksonville, III.,
where he spent one winter. The following sining he
came to Iowa and took up his residence in Jeffer-
son County, which vvas the tliird county bearing
that name in which he had made his home. He
entered a claim in the new purchase and planted a
crop. His oxen having strayed away, he started
in pursuit of them, and on his leturn found that
his crop had been eaten up. Discouraged, he
traded his claim for a horse and moved to the
Smith homestead, where he lived until his death.
For the first forty acres of that farm he gave in
payment his team. Hard was the struggle to get a
start, but by persevering industry and good man-
agement he at length overcame all obstacles, and
at his death was a well-to-do citizen of the commu-
nity, owning a tine farm of two hundred and sixty
acres, upon which were many good improvements
that greatlj' enhanced its value. In [lolitics he was
first a Whig and later a I\c|)ublie;ui. His death
occurred September 1, 1876, and his wife, who was
a consistent Christian lady, was called to her re-
ward Jnne 27, 1888, having survived her husband
twelve years. Of their four children — Sarah E.
became the wife of Allen King, and is now deceased;
Henry C. is the second in order of birth ; Winfield
S. is a resident farmer of Cedar Township; and
Zachary T. is a blacksmith of Wooster.

The early life of our subject passed uneventfully',
unmarked by any occurrence of special importance.
He attended the district schools of the neighbor-
hood, and assisted in the labors attending the cul-
tivation of his father's farm until he had attained
to mature years, when, on the 11th of August,
1862, he responded to the country's call for troops
and donned the L^nion regimentals. He was as-
asigned to Company G, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry,
and went into camp in Keokuk, Iowa, whore he
took the measles. He was unable to march whcu
his company was ordered to the front, but joined
his command at Milliken's Bend. He participated
in a number of important engagements, including
the battle of Jackson, Miss., the capture of Vicks-

388

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

hurg; Cherokee Station, Lookout Mountain and
Missionary' Ridge. During tlie last named an En-
field rifle ball passed througli liis left ankle and
lodged in his right. As a result his right foot had
to be amputated, and ere it was healed amputation
w^s twice more necessary. After spending some
three months in Nashville, Tenn., and five months
in Louisville, Ivy., thence to Cincinnati, he was
allowed to return home, and in Keokuk, Iowa, on
the 1st of February, 18C5, received his discharge.
Ever faithful to his duty, he proved a loyal sol-
dier, and brought honor to the colors which he
wore.

Since the war Mr. Smith has made Jefferson
County his home, but has spent considerable
time in traveling in this and foreign countries.
During his journeyings he has visited Missouri,
Kansas, Wisconsin and California, and in 1886
made a trip to Belgium, returning after tlirec
months with two thoroughbred Belgian diaft
horses which he still owns. Socially, he is a mem-
ber of the Grand Army Post, and politically, is a
Republican. For almost half a century he has
made his home in Jefferson County, and is one of
her highly respected citizens. The same faithful-
ness which marked his career as a soldier has been
displayed in the discharge of every private duty,
and has won him the confidence and high regard of
those with whom he has had business or social re-
lations.

'NDREW F. CASSEL resides on section
20, Lockridge Township, where he is en-
gaged in farming. Among the early set-
tlers of Jefferson County none merit more
honorable mention in this volume than the colony
of Swedes, who left everything dear on earth save
their families, to find comfortable homes for their
children in the New World. The colony consisted
of Peter Cassel and family, John Danielson and
family, John Munson and family, Peter Anderson
and family, and E. P. and Sarah Anderson, both of
whom were single. From their homes they went

by wagon to the Gotta Canal, a distance of about
fifty English miles, then by steamer, passing
through the lakes, Vetran and Vernan, on to Gut-
tenhurg, some fifty Swedish miles, or over three
hundred miles as we reckon distance. The vessel
in which the company was to sail was adjudged un-
safe for the trip, and they were compelled to wait
for a month. FinuUy, on the 2-ith of June, 1845,
the vessel, '-Superb," spread her canvas to the
wind, and with longing looks our i)arty of passen-
gers saw their beloved land fade from sight. Dur-
ing a fog the vessel collided with another in mid-
ocean, damaging the rigging of the "Superb," but
still she held on her wa3',and after eight weeks sail-
ing landed in New York. There the}' were joined b}'
Peter Dahlburg. By railroad and canal they pro-
ceeded as far as Pittsburg, anil thence by the Ohio
and Mississippi Rivers to Burlington, Iowa. Com-
ing on to Lockridge Township, Jefferson County,
they soon realized their dream of securing pleasant
homes. The character of these emigrants was
marked. They were people who feared God and
respL'cted the rights of men. Though most of
them were poor, they were honest, industrious and
frugal. The leading spirit in forming and guiding
this colony in their efforts to reach the New World
was Peter Cassel, the father of our subject. He
was a man of intelligence, well informed and of
good business capacity. For a long time he read
and talked of America, but it took about two
years to raise and prepare the colony for embark-
ation.

Peter Cassel was born in Asby County, Sweden,
October 13, 1790, but was of German descent. His
early life was spent in acquiring the trade of a mill-
wright, at which he worked many years, though the
last six years he spent in Sweden were devoted to
the manufacture of threshing machines. On reach-
ing manhood he married Miss Catherine Anderson,
a native of Kisa County, Sweden, born September
3, 1807. When it was found that Mr. Cassel had
fully decided to come to the United States, his
friends tried to deter him by putting him forward
for representative of his county, but he declined
the honor, and would let nothing turn him aside
from his chosen course. He was a man of some
means, and used his money liberally in assisting

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

389

those who accompanied him on the trip. After he
\v:is estalilisliefl in .Jefferson Cmintv, many of liis
countrymen came to enjoy llie opportunities Amer-
ica affords for acquiring weaitli, and all founil a
frienil and ready liel[)er in Mr. Cassel. Both he
and his wife weie members of the Swedish Luth-
eran Church, but after coming to America, where
one is free to worship in any manner they desire,
they united with the Metliodist Ciuireh, and he be-
came an ordained minister of that denomination.
His many acts of kindness, liis deeds of charity,
his words of encouragement and ready assistance
to those in need of a friend, won hin^ the confidence
and love of tlie entire community, who deeply
mourned his loss when his life on earth was ended.
He was called to his final rest March 4, 1857.
His wife long survived him, dying on the 3d of
May, 1877.

The family of this worthy couple numbered
seven children. Five were born in Sweden, and
after they found a home in Iowa the circle was in-
creased by the birth of another son and daughter.
Charles J., the eldest, is a farmer of Boone County,
Iowa; Andrew F. is the nest younger; Matilda is
the wife of Frank O. Danielson. of this county ; Cath-
erine died at the age of nine years; Gnstave died in
Helena, Ark., in 1802, at tlie age of twenty-four
years, while defending the flag of his adopted coun-
try; Edward died at the age of twenty-five years;
and Carrie, the youngest of the seven, is now the
wife of Axel Jacobson, who resides near Crcston,
Iowa.

Andrew F. Cassel, a worthy representative of
this illustrious family, was born in Kisa County,
Sweden, on the 3d of December, 1831. He re-
ceived his early education in his native land, and
attended school for ti short time in this country,
but has acquired the greater part of his knowledge
by intercourse with his fellow. men. especially in
his business relations. At the age of twenty-live
years he began life for himself, and shortly after-
ward, on the 13th of November, 1857, he married
Louisa Peterson, a native of Hyklinge County,
Sweden, born August 19, 1835. When twelve
years of age she accompanied her parents, Andrew
and Christina Peterson, to the I'nited States, and
the family chose as a location Jefferson County,

Iowa. Six children have been born of their union
— Ella, at home; John W., who is employed in a
mercantile house of Kearney, Neb.; Simon P., now
located in Denver, Colo.; Andrew E., Clara S. and
Esther A.

Having attained his majority prior to the elec-
tion of 1856, Mr. Cassel deposited his first ballot
for John C. Fremont, and at eacli succeeding elec-
tion has supported the Republican party. His fel-
low-citizens appreciating hir, worth and ability,
have frequently called upon him to serve in official
positions, where he has displayed his uprightness
and honesty Iw his faithful discharge of every duty
devolving upon him. In connection with all the
minor offices he was for nine j-ears Assessor of his
township, for many years was Township Trustee,
for some twelve years has held the office of Notary
Public, for four years has been Bridge Commis-
sioner, and during the past six years has been a
member of the County Board of Supervisors. His
farm, comprising one hundred and twenty-seven
acres of well-improved land, yields to him a good
income, and in connection with its cultivation he
raises high grades of stock. In 1884 Mr. Cassel
was sent as a lay delegate to the Methodist Confer-
ence convened at Philadelphia, Pa., representing the
entire Swedish Church. His acquaintance extends
all over Jefferson County, and few are better, while
none are more favorably knowu. He has many
friends, but his enemies are indeed limited, for his
course has ever been such as to ivin the confidence
and esteem of all with whom business or pleasure
have brought him in contact.

AMUEL WORK, an intelligent and re-
spected farmer of Union Townshiii, Van
Buren County, residing on section 7, was
born in Clark County, Ind., September
30, 1818. Tlie family is of Scottish origin, but
from Scotland some of its members emigrated to
the North of Ireland, whence at an early day
in the history of the American Colonies, Henry

390

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALm'M.

AVoik came to Ameiifa. The family lii><1 its rep-
resentatives in the Revolutionary War, and tiiough
none of its members liave distinguished themselves
in professional or mercantile life, a line of worthy
and respected citizens have descended from the
American progenitor.

Henry Work, the grandfather of our subject, was
born in Pennsylvania, grew to manhood in that
Slate, removed to Kentucky, and at length became
a resident of Indiana, where he became ovrner of
two five hundred-acre farms which, after bis death,
were divided among his children. He left five
sons and three daughters — John, Samuel, Joseph,
Andrew, Henry, Sarah, Rebecca and Anna. The
third of the family, Joseph Work, became the
father of our subject. He was born in Fayette
Country, Pa., and when a lad of fourteen years ac-
comi)anied his family to Kentucky, and Later to
Indiana. He was studious b}' nature, and although
ills advantages were not of the liest, he acquired a
good education, and became a leading citizen of
Indiana. He first gave his attention to farming as
a means of livelihood, but becoming cripjiled
through an accident, he devoted himself to teach-
ing, wliich profession he followed many j'ears.
Possessing oratorical powers much above the aver-
age, and being a logical ami deep thinker, he be-
came note>l as a public speaker. Several terras he
represented his district in the State Legislature of
Indiana, and also served as Associate Judge for
some years. He was a great reader, and possessed
a retentive memory which proved of much benefit
to him in public life. His views of political ques-
tions changing, he discontinued bis allegiance to
the Democracy and became a supporter of Whio-
principles. He died on the loth of December,
l.s4o. at the ages of fifty-five years. His wife,
whose maiden name was Elvy Dunn, was born
near Norfolk, Va., in February, 17'J'J, and died on
the l-lth of August, 1874. Their children were ,as
fiiUows — Saijuiel, of this sketcli ; Henry, deceased;
Joseph, who resides near Mt. Zion, Iowa; John, of
Kansas; William, who served in the Third Iowa
Cavalry, was taken prisoner and died at Shreve-
port. La., from the effect of "ill-treatment from bis
rebel ca|)tors; Susan is living in Kansas, and Mar-
tha and Sarah died in childhood.

No event of special importance marked the early
life of Samuel Work. He was educated in the sub-
scription schools, attended the Clark County Semi-
nary, of Indiana, and remained under the parental
roof until twenty-three years of age, when he bade
good-b3'e to home and friends, and with three com-
panions started for Iowa in 1841 on a prospecting
tour. He purchased two hundred acres of land
adjoining Birmingiiam — his present farm, but there
is little similarity in the appearance of the culti-
vated fields of to-day and the barren acres of half
a century ago. Only ten acres of the entire
amount had been fenced, and the work of improve-
ment liad not yet been begun. After making some
preparation for a home he returned to Indiana, and
on the 6th of March married Miss Hannah Beggs,
a native of that State. Soon afterward he brought
his young bride to the West, making the journey
by river, and they began their domestic life in a
little log cabin with puncheon floor, the windows
of which looked more like port-holes than that for
which they were intended. Their lives have here
since been passed, but that pioneer home has long
since been replaced by a commodious residence.
His home farm comprises two hundred and forty
acres, and his landed possessions aggregate twelve
hundred acres, making him one of the extensive
property-owners of the county. In former years
he raised considerable stock, and personall3' super-
intended the cultivation of bis farms, but the
greater part of his land is now rented, while be is
practically living a retired life.

Mr. and Mrs. Work have seven children livino-,
and have lost two sons. John, who enlisted in the
Thirtieth Iowa Regiment, and participated in many
battles of the late war, died in the hospital at Keo-
kuk. January 5, 18G5; George, is living in Clark
County, Ind. ; Joe Q., a graduate of the Mt. Pleas-
ant College is now engaged in the practice of law
in Lamar, Barton County, Mo.; James M., is living
in Jefferson County, Iowa, and with bis brother
Samuel, the next younger, engages in farming and
stock-raising; Thomas makes bis home near Can-
tril, Iowa; Robert E. and Emma J. are at home;
and the other member of the family, a son. died in
childhood. Mr. Work is a friend to education,
and gave bis children good advantages, thereby

The

i^O-" r„

V. p. TWOMBLY.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

393

fitting them for tlie practical duties of life. In
(oliticshe is a Republican, havire: supported that
party since 1856, when lie voted for Fremont, its
first candidate. His first Presidential ballot was
cast for William Henry Harrison, in 18-1(1. During
those early days lie manifested considerable inter-
est in political affairs, and had the pleasure of hear-
ing speeches made by Henry Clay, S. S. Prentiss,
and other noted orators of the day. The name of
our subject is an index to his character, and to his
labors ma}'' be attributed his success in life.

-^^g-JiiL^e

S^A APT. VOLTAIRE P. TWOMBLY, of
Keosauqua, is the present State 'I'reasuror
of Iowa, and a native of ^'an Buren County,
among whose honored pioneers are numbered liis
jiareiits. His father, (Samuel Tuttle Twombly, was
bm'n ill M.'idbiiry, N. IL, and reared in Norway,
Me. He became a resident of the Territory of
Towa about 1831), locating in Van Buren County,
where soon afterward he met and married Miss
Dorothy Carter Wilder, the wedding being cele-
brated at Sulubria, near Farmington. The lady
was born and reared in Westminster, Worcester
County, Mass., and the date of her arrival in ^'an
Buren Count}- is August, 1838.

Our subject is the only child of his parents. He
was born February 21, 1842, in a log cabin, on a
small farm near Farmington, and the same year, in
the month of September, his father died. In 1843
the mother with her baby boy came to Keosauqua,
which is still her home at the age of seventy-one,
but for some years she has been in very poor health.
To his mother our subject owes much. The care-
ful training of his youth has done not a little to-
wards shaping his after life, and while the mother
feels a just [iride in her son, he cannot but remem-
ber with gratitude the service which she [lerformed
for him. His education was acquired largely in
private schools in Keosauqua, as the public schools
of that day were not of a very high order. In the
years 18,i9 and 186(t he had the privilege of lieing

instructed by the Rev. Daniel Lane, the pioneer
Congregational ijiinister of Keosauqua, whom all
his old scholars, and in fact all who know him, re-
member with veneration and respect. From the
schoolroom, though only nineteen years of age, he
entered upon army life.

In April, 1861, immediately after the firing upon
Ft. Sumter, Mr. Twombly, responding to the first
call for troops, enlisted in what became Companj-
V, of the Second Iowa Infantrs'. James M. Tuttle,
afterward General, was the first Captain of the
compan}'. He was mustered into the State ser-
vice May 1st, and on the 27th into the United States
service as a private, but was aiipointed Corporal
and assigned to the Color Guard of the regiment in
October, 1861. As such he took part in the charge
made by his regiment on the rebel right at Ft.
Donelson, February 15, 1862. In the report of
the part taken by his regiment in that liattle Col.
Tuttle saj's: "I cannot omit in this report an ac-
account of the Color Cxuard. Color Sergeant Doo-
little fell early in the engagement, pierced by four
balls and dangerously wounded. The colors were
then taken by Corporal Page, of Company B, who
soon fell, dead. They were then taken by Corporal
Churchill, of Company I, who had his arm broken
(afterward amputated) just as ho entered the en-
trenchments, when they were taken by Corporal
Twombly, of Company F, who bore them gallantly
to the end of the fight. Not a single man of the
Color Guard but himself was on his feet at the
close of the engagement." As a reward of his
meritorious conduct during that battle, Mr. Twom-
bly was made Sergeant, acting .as Oolor-Sergcant,
and while serving in that capacity carried his
colors as the head of his regiment through the two
days battle of Shiloh, during the 6tli and 7th of
April, 1862. During the siege of Corinth, Miss.,
he served as Second Lieutenant of his company,
and later received a commission as such to date
from August 1, 1862. During the battle of Cor-
inth, on the 3d and 4th of October following, he
was wounded, whicli necessitated his remaining in
the hospital for a month, the oiilj- time he was off
duty during more than four years of service. The
following year, 1863, the .Second Iowa Infantry, as
part of the First Brigade, Second Division. Sixteenth

394

PORTRAIT AND BIO(iRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Army Corps, commanderl by Gen. G. M. Dodge,
was stationed at Coriiitli, whence it proceeded
on many raids after Forrest and Rhodey, witli their
rt'bel cavalry, through Northern Mississippi, Ala-
bama and Western Tennessee. Tliese troops were
stationed at Pulaski, Tenn., during the winter of
1863-G4, and the last of April of the latter ytar
joined Sherman's Array just as it was moving out
of Chattanooga against tiie rebel army under Gen.
J. E. Johnston. With Dodge's Division of the
Army of the Tennessee, Mr. Twombly participated
in the many battles and skirmishes of the Atlanta
campaign from Resaca to Lovejoy Station, which
occurred between May 1 and September 1, 1864. He
was slightly wounded in the battle of Jonesboro,
August 31, but did not enter the hospital. In July,
of the same j'ear. he was commissioned First Lieu-
tenant and Adjutant, and on the lOtli of November,
was promoted to the rank of Captain, which posi-
tion he continued to till during the remainder of
his service. With his company under Sherman he
marched '-from Atlanta to the Sea." In January,
18G5, while at Savannah, Ga., bj^ an order from
division headquarters, he was ordered to repoit for
duty as Inspector of the Third Brigade, Fourth
Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, and served in that
position during the march north through the Caro-
linas to Goldsborough, and until mustered out. In
that march the_y met the enemy at Columbia, S. C,
and in Bentonville, N. C, where Mr. Twomblj' was
last under Bre. From Goldsborough he marched
to Raleigh, and soon after the news of Jolmson's
surrender, which brought hostilities to a close,
reached him. Going with his command Noith-
ward, he then took part in the Grand Review of
the Eastern and Western armies at Washington,
proceeded thence by rail to Louisville, Ky., where
he was mustered out July 12, and on the 20th of
July was finally discharged at Davenport, Iowa,
after a continuous service of more than four years
cir throughout the entire war.

After a short visit to his mother and friends in
Keosanqu.a, Capt. Twombly entered Bryant &
Stratton's Business College, of Burlington, Iowa,
and at the end of three months accepted a position
as manager of the large flouring interests at Ot-
tumwa, owned by the Orchard City Mills Company,

of Burlington. He there remained two years, dur-
ing which time he was united in marriage with
Miss Chloe A. Funk, of Keosauqua, the marriage
ceremony being performed on the 1st of May, 18G6.
The lady is a daughter of William Funk, Esq., one
of the early settlers of Van Buren County, who
einigrate<l from Ohio to this State when Chloe was
three years old. She was born February 9, 1845.

From Ottumwa, in December, 1867, Mr. Twom-
bly removed to Pittsburg, Van Buren County,
Iowa, where he engaged in the milling business
with his father-in law until tlie spring of 1876, at
which time he removed to Keosauqua. The mer-
cantile business then engrossed his attention until
the autumn of 1879. when he entered into politics,
being nominated and elected Treasurer of Van
Buren County by the Republican part}^, receiving
a majority of two hundred and thiity-nine, while
the candidates for Sheriff, Count}' Superindendent
and member of the Board of Supervisors were de-
feated. In 1881 he was renominated by acclamation,
and elected by a majority of four hundred, the
Democrats .again electing Sheriff and Superintend-
ent. His second term closed January 1, 1884, and
he announced himself a candidate for Treasurer of
State, for which office he was nominated by accla-
mation at the Republican State Convention held in
Des Moines in August. 1884. With the others on
the ticket he was elected, having a majority of
nineteen thousand; in 1886 he was renominated
without opposition, and elected with a majority of
sixteen thousand; and in 1888 was lenoininatod for
a third term. This is an unusual honor in Iowa.
The returns showed a majority of more than nine-
teen thousand, and a plurality of thirty-one thous-
and. By reason of this office he is a member of
the Executive Council of the Slate, composed of
of the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor of
State and Treasurer of State, upon which body
many important duties devolve.

Mr. Twombly is a charter member of William C.
Harper Post, No. 79, G. A. R., of Keosauqua. and
has several times rc|»resentcd his post in the de-
partment encampment, by which he was elected a
delegate to the National Encampment held in St.
Louis, Mo., in October, 1887. He is a comi>anion
of the First Class of the Military Order of the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

305

Lo.yal Legion of the I'nited States, anrl is now Re-
corder of the Commandery of Iowa. He is also a
JLaster Mason of twenty-five years standing, and for
twenty ^-ears he and his wife have been active
members of the Congregational Church, he being a
delegate to the State Association, at its fiftieth
anniversary in May, 1890, at Des ^loines, Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Tvvombly have been blessed with
five children, the two oldest, little girls, and the,
fourth, a boy, died in infancy. The third, Will-
iam Tuttlc, lived to be nearly seventeen years of
age, .and died December 28. 1887. He was the
pride of his parents, the sunsliine of their home,
and was greatly respected by both young and old.
Eva, the 3'oungest and only living child, will be
twelve years old on the 10th of November, 1890.

The brilliant record of Voltaire P. Tw-ombly is
familiar to Iowa's citizens, and words of praise an<l
commendation would seem almost supertluous, yet
a few facts relative to his public character we
should like to mention, llis poiiularity through-
out Iowa is indicated by the large majority which
he received on his first election to the office of
.State Treasurer, and no higher testimonial of effi-
ciency and faithfulness to duty could be given
than the statement of, the fact that at the last elec-
tion he had a greater majority than ever before.
It shows the confidence reposed in him as a citizen
and public offi'cer, and the honor of being three
times elected to his present position has been con-
ferred upon no other man in the State since 1871.
In church, societ}', and in public life his friends are
almost numberless, and even his political enemies
Mccord him their respect.

^^^

ON. LEWIS FORDYCE, who resides on
section 14, Des Moines Township, Jefferson
Countj', is widely and favorably known
throughout Southeastern Iowa, and with the
growth of this portion of the State has been promi-
nently connected. He represents one of the hon-
ored pioneer families, the head of which was Jairus

Fordyce. He was a son of a Rei'ohitionary hero
and his liirth occurred in Pennsylvania. Removing
westward in his youth, be necame acquainted witli
Miss Susan Gard, a native of Ohio, whom he mar-
ried. He served under Gen. Harrison at the battle
of Tippecanoe. In 181.5, they emigrated to the
Territor3- of Illinois. During his stay in the Pi-ai-
rie State, he opened up two or three farms, but in
1837 he determined to tiy his fortune on the oppo-
site side of the Mississipju, and made a settlement
in Lee Count}', Iowa. Two years later he went to
Van Buren County, where his death occurred the
following year. His excellent wife survived him
fifteen years, dying in 1855. The members of their
family now living are -Setli. of Union Township,
Van Buren County; Lewis, whose name heads this
sketch, and Mary, now Jlrs. Miller, of Lee County,
Iowa.

Lewis Fordyce was about seventeen years of age
when he accompanied his family to Iowa. His
early life was passed amid the wild scenes of fron-
tier settlements, and his education was acquired in
the suljscription schools of Wabash County, HI.
After becoming a citizen of Leo County he aided
in developing a farm. With his parents he went to
Van Buren County in 1839, but returned to Lee
County in 1815, and the following year was joined
in wedlock with Miss Mary Newby, a native of
Indiana, and a daugliter of Gabriel and Rebecca
(Harvey) Newby, both of whom were born in
North Carolina, but at an early day became resi-
dents of Indiana, where they spent the remainder
of their lives. Both passed from this earth many
years ago.

Upon his marriage, Mr. Fordyce settled upon a
farm in Lee County, but at the end of three years
removed to Van Buren County, where he purchased
a [lartially improved farm. No one is better con-
versant with the correct methods of agriculture
than he, and his efforts were consequently attended
with success. Continuing his residence in Van iJuren
County until 1873, he then came to .Jefferson
County, where he purchased an improved farm of
three hundred acres, one hundred of which he has
since given to his children, retaining two hundred
acres for his own use. Working his way upward
from a humble position, he overcame the hardships

39fi

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

<if pioneer life, surmounted the obstacles which lay
in his path and at length reached a position of af-
tluence, his property now lieing amply sufficient to
provide for all moderate wants through the remain-
der of his life, but he has not devoted his time
entirely to business pursuits. He has faillifull}'
discharged the dut'es of citizenship and has repre-
sented his district in the General Assembly of Iowa.
He was honored with an election to the Fourth
General Assembly. rei)resentingA'an Buren County,
and in the Twentieth (ieneral Assembly occupied
the seat assigned to the representative of Jefferson
County. In the legislative halls, he was an honored
member and one who faithfully looked after the
best interests of his constituents and the general
community. He has been an inttuential memljer in
local circles of the Re[iulilican party and was one
» of the (U'ganizers of that party in Van Buren
Countv. He has also held minor offices, was Town-
ship Clerk in I'nian Township, Van Buren County',
.-ind while a resident of Lee County assisted in the
organization of its school S3'stem. A more import-
ant i)art of his work has been his labors in the
ministry. For many years he has been a member
nf the Christian Church and for the past thirty-five
years has engaged in preaching the (iospel, his la-
bi)rs extending into Missouri and throughout
Southeastern Iowa. He is now President of the
State Association of his church, and for thirty-
three years helrl the oflice of Secretary in its as-
semblies. His fervent and earnest words have liecn
instruments for good in the land, but his own up-
right and Christian life has been a no less potent
factor in the cause.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Fordyce was born a family
of eight children and with one exception all are
yet living. Winfleld is married and is now engaged
in the practice of medicine and surgei-y in Glasgow,
Jefferson County; Eugene is married and makes
liis home in Ventura County, Cal. ; Harry is mar-
ried and makes his home in the same county;
Thornton is married and resides near the old
homestead; Carl is yet with liis parents; Oscar is
married and devotes himself to the i)ractice of
medicine and surgery in Guthrie County; Lew
completes the number.

From the time when Iowa contained a popula-

tion of but twenty thousand. Mr. Fordyce has
made it his home. Feiv men now living have wit-
nessed so much of its growth or been so promi-
nenly identified with its interests. He is an honored
pioneer, a Avorthy citizen and an upright Christian
gentleman, whose influence for good in the com-
munit3' will still be felt long after he has passed
away. In all his work, he has found a helpmate
in his estimable wife, who has shared with him his
jo.y and sorrow, his advereity and prosperity.

^-^-^.t^i^H^O^-?— ^

^^ EORGE SCHMIDTLEIN, one of the pioneer
'il (^^ settlers of Jefferson County, residing on
^^^Jj! section 36, Lockridge Township, is of
German birth. There were but two children born
unto John G. and Margaret (Kesz) Schmidtlein —
a son and daughter. The latter, Katherine, came
to this country and married Fiederick Graff, but
is now deceased. The son, whoso name heads
this sketch, was born in Mittlefranken, Bavaria,
August 31, 1812, and his parents were also natives
of that district. His father died before he was
born and afterwards his mother became the wife
of George J. Wagher, by whom she had fourteen
children.

The educational advantages afforded our subject
were very meagre indeed. As he was the oldest
son in a large family of half brothers and sisters,
he was forced to begin work when very young and
in consequence is a self-made man. having been al-
most entirely dependent upon his own efforts from
boyhood. He was twenty-five years of age when,
bidding good-by to home and friends, he left
his native Land for America. After an ocean
voyage of eight weeks, he reached the shores of
the New "World and at once proceeded to Butler
County, Ohio, where he embarked in' farming.
Two years later he was joined by his mother,
step-father and ten children. During his residence
in Ohio, in August, 1840, he was joined in wed-
lock with Miss Mary B. I)allner._ who was born
near the birthplace of her husband, and came

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

397

to the United States in the same ship on whieli he
was a ])assenger. The t'oHowing April, the ^'oinig-
couple came to the Territoiy of Iowa, and making
selection of Jefferson C'ount\', as a favorable loca-
tion, Jlr. Schmidtlein purchased one hundred and
twenty acres of land. After paying for the same,
he had onlj- $1.37 remaining, but l)y selling twenty
acres he obtained enough mone^^ to purchase an ox-
team wherewith to break and plow his land and
place it under cultivation. He paid his fii'st taxes
with an ax which he had brought with him from
Ohio, and this is but one example of the means
resorted to in order to make a start in his
new home; but year by year saw his possessions
increase, until now two hundred and twenty acres
of good land pay tributes to his care and cultiva-
tion.

In 1.S65, Mr. Schmidtlein was called upon to
mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the iind
of September. Nine children were born unto
them — Henry, a farmer in Nevada; John A. and
George F., twins, engaged in farming in California
and Oregon, respectively; Lizzie, wife of Henry
Schreiber, of Loekridge Township; Anna, wife of
Henry Schobe, a resident of Walnut Township;
George W., a farmer of Nev.ada; Sophia, wife of
Louis Drover, whose home is in Loekridge Town-
ship; Frank, a resident farmer of Arizona; and
Charles, who is engaged in the same occupation at
the same place. On the 7th of June, 1866, Mr.
Schmidtlein married Katherine E. Schneider, who
was born in Hessen, Germany, March 6, 1837, and
in 1864. came with her parents, John and Mary
(Bebeheiser) Schneider, to the United States. The
following year they located in Jefferson County,
Iowa, where the father died at the age of seventy-
eight years, his wife in the eightieth year of her
age. To Mr. and Mrs. Schmidtlein vvere born
five children, but only one of the number, Caroline
L., is now living.

The parents, like their ancestors for several
generations remote, are members of the Lutheran
Church. In ])olitical sentiment he is a supporter
of the Democracy, having affiliated with that
party since casting his first Presidential vote for
James K. Polk. For almost half a centurv he iias
made his home in Jefferson County ; he has been a

witness of its growth and progress, and has aided
material!}' in its advancement, especially in its
agriculiural interests. Whatever pertains to the
welfare of the community may be sure of his
hearty sujiport, for he is a faithful citizen and feels
a just pride in tiie improvement of the conntrj'
which has so long been his home. He has lived
the life of a hard working man, but has now a
comfortable competence. In the earlier days of
his settlement here, his farm being covered with
liml)er, he would si)end the hours from sunrise
until dark in clearing awa^' the brush, and between
the setting of the sun and midnight huge bonfires
would illuminate every thing around. In this
manner he labored on until the obstacles whicii
once surrounded his path were done away with and
prosperity blessed his efforts.

\tl OSEPH ROTH is numbered among tlie highly
respected citizens of Jefferson County, where
he has resided for the long period of forty-
seven years. His home is situated on section
12, Fairfield Townshij), and his farm embraces a
part of the land which he obtained from the Gov-
ernment almost half a century ago. Although he
was then in ver^' limited circumstances, his indus-
trious habits, combined with enterprise and a deter-
mination to succeed, have secured for him a hand-
some competence, and he is now numbered among
the substantial farmers of the community.

Mr. Roth was born in BcUott, Fi'ance, August
6, 1817. His parents, Jacque and Kate Roth,
were also natives of the same country, emigrated
to America in 1831 and settled in Wayne County,
Ohio, but not until five years later did our subject
leave his native land to seek a home across the
water. He had just attained his majority when,
in 1836, he joined his family in Wayne Coutit}-.
His capital was sixty-seven cents, and with that
sum he began life in the New World, but in a
country where all who will, may work and rise
above a humble position, he met with success and

3i)8

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

prosperity crowiied his efforts. He confined his
opcrntioiis to the ilnirj- business while in Ohio, but
s-iiiee coming to Iowa has devoted his energies to
agricultural pursuits. His first purchase of land
in .Jefferson County was a tract in Cedar Township,
which he obtained froiu the Government, anil
which still forms a part of his farm. He made
his home thereon until 1849, when he moved across
the township line to his present home. As lime
passed and his farm began to prove a paying in-
vestment, he extended his acreage until at one time
he owned eight hundred acres, but a jxii'tion of
tjiis he has since divided with his children. and the
old homestead now comprises three hundred and
^ixty acres. To thos^e who know Mr. Roth and
are familiar with his industrious, practical and en-
ergetic habits, it is needless to s.ay that his farm is
a model one in every particular. All necessary
improvements have been made, good stock is there
raised and fields of grain yield a golden reward
for his care and cultivation.

Wliih^ in Wa) ne County, Ohio, Mr. Roth was
joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Klopfenstein,
daughter of Christ Klopfenstein. She was born in
Southern France, on the 24th of September, 1823.
came to America in the year 1832, and on tlie
23d of December, 1840, became the wife of Mr.
Kotli. Two children were born unto them in
Ohio, and after their removal to Iowa the family
circle was increased b}- the birth of eleven chil-
dren, mal<ing in all a band of thirteen, seven sons
and six daughters. Of that uutnber nine are yet
living. Lydia, the eldest, died at the age of four
years; Peter wedded Mary Weitzel and lives in
Black Hawk Township. Jefferson County; Rebecca
is the wife of Adam Messer, of Lock ridge Town-
ship. Jefferson County; Elizabeth died at the age
of one year; John wedded Mary J. Droz and is a
resident of Fail field Township; Christian is at
home; Joseph died at the age of five years; Mary
is with her father; Anna is the wife of V. A. Lam-
son, of Fairfield ; Jake is at home; Lizzie died at
the age of three years; Edward married Mary An-
derson and is residing in Holdridge, Keb. ; Benja-
min F. is located in Omaha, Neb., and completes
the family. Mrs. Roth, the mother of the above-
named children, died on the lltli of March, 18SG.

She was a Menonnite in religious belief and lived
a useful life. Mr. Roth and his daughter Mary
are also believers in the same faith and in politics
he and his sons, with one exception, are Demo-
crats, (denial, \varm-hc:irted and loyal, he wins
hosts of friends and enjoys the confidence and
good-will of his neighbors in a marked degree.

^s^J^C^.

ijENJAMIN F. FORD, who is engaged in
farming on secticui 28, Union Township,
Van Buren County, is a native of Ohio, his
birth having occurred in Wayne County,
May 24, 1837. He is descended from good old
Revolutionarj' stock, his paternal great grandfather,
Henry Ford, having served in the War for Inde-
pendence and died in Wayne County, Ohio, at the
veiy advanced age of one hundred and fifteen
years and fifteen days. The father of our subject,
Jacob B. Ford, was born in Pennsylvania, May 27,
1804, and in his youth accompanied his family to
Wayne County, Ohio, where he formed the ac-
quaintance of Miss Christina Fleck, whose hand he
sought in marriage. The}' were joined in marriage
in Wajne Countj, where the lady was born in
1807. Her parents were Germans by birth and
could speak only their mother tongue. Having
resided in Ohio until 1849. jMr. Ford brought his
family to Iowa, locating in Iowa County, but the
following ^ear he came to Van Buren County and
settled near Winchester, where his wife, who was a
member of the United Brethren Church, died in
1851. He afterwards married Mrs. Sallie Barker,
by whom he had three children, two 3-et living.
By his first wife he had nine children, four of
whom are living. About 1870, Mr. Ford became
a resident of Davis County. Iowa, where he still
makes his home. Politically he is a Democrat,
and in religious belief a ]\Iissionary Bajitist.

In the usual manner of farmer lads Benjamin F.
Ford sjient the days of his boyhood and youth.
His education was mostly acquired at his own fire-
side, his [larents heliiing him to master the rudi-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM,

899

mentary branches of learning, for the schools in
tlieir iieii;hli<irh(K)(l were few in number and often
the teachers were very inefficient. On nearinu-
years of maturity, he looked about him for some
business he wislied to follow, not caring to continue
farming and his choice fell upon the blacksmith's
trade. After mastering that occupation, he carried
on blacksmithing for a livelihood until 1864, when
he drove some stock to California, returning the
same year. He then opened a shop in Winchester,
where for nine 3-ears he attended to the wants of
the peoi)le in need of his services, doing a good
business. Tiitreby he accumulated capital which
enabled him to purchase his present farm — a one
hundred and seventy-two and one-half acre tract
of good farming land, pleasantly situated al)out a
half mile south of Winchester.

An important event in the life of Mr. Ford oc-
curred on the ■21st of November, 1859, which day
witnessed the celebration of his marriage with
Elezan Calhoun, 'vho was boi'u in Holmes Count}',
Ohio, February 28, 1836. Her parents, John and
Isabel (.lameson) Calhoun, were natives of Penn-
sylvania, and in childhood emigrated to Holmes
County, Ohio, where they were married. In 1811,
they came to Iowa and spent the remainder of
their lives in Van Buren County. In their family
were nine children, of whom six yet live. The
father was a Democrat and died in the eighty-fifth
year of his age, while his wife had reached the age
of seventy -seven 3'ears at the time of her death.
Two children came to gladden the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Ford l)y their presence and the family
circle yet remains unbroken. The daughter, how-
ever has left tlie parental roof. She is now Mrs.
Luella L. Bonnette, wife of Amos Bonnette, a
resident of Union Township, Van Buren County.
The son, .lohu II., is a farmer of the same town-
ship.

The upright lives of Mr. and Mrs. Ford have
won them warm friends and secured for them a
position in the ranks of Van Buren County's best
citizens. Both are active workers in the Methodist
Church, Mr. Ford serving as Class Leader and
Stew.ard. He supports the Republican party but has
never been an oflice seeker, preferring to devote
himself to the interests of his family and his busi-

ness. When he began life for himself he had but
^U I. lint his efforts were successful and he was
getting under fair way to become a prosperous
citizen when he went to California, taking with him
$1,000 of his earnings which he there sunk. On
his return good friends loaned him money where-
with to make a new start in life and by hard work,
good management and perseverance he has again
arisen.

000

BRAHAM C. NOBLE, a practical farmer
(sSO residing en section 2, Fairfield Township,
III * Jefferson Count}', was born in Blair County,
Pa., on the 20th of April, 1821, and is a
son of John and Elizabeth (Crane) Noble. In the
usual manner of farmer lads his early life was
spent, the only educational advantages which he
received were such .as the district schools afforded
and during the summer months when his services
were needed in the fields he w\'is not permitted to
improve even those meagre opportunities. In 1837,
when a lad of sixteen 3'ears, he removed with his
family to Indiana County, Pa., where his father
operated an iron manufactury. Their home was
on the present site of the city of Altoona, and
thee he grew to manhood. On the 1 1th of January,
1844, he was united in marriage with Miss Martha
Altimus, who was a native of Indiana County, Pa.,
and a daughter of Nicholas Altimus. After eigh-
teen years of married life, she was called to her
final rest, leaving one child, a daughter. Mary,
who is now the wife of Joseph T. Ross of Oregon.
Mr. Noble was again married on the 1 1th of May,
1863, his second wife being Miss Martha B.
Madden, who was born in Franklin Count}', Pa.,
and is a daughter of Spencer Madden. In Novem-
ber, 1863, Mr. Noble closed out his business in the
Keystone State and leaving Cambria County, where
he had resided for some years, he started for the
West, Iowa being his destination. Locating in
Fairfield, he embarked in the mercantile business
which he carried on for two years and for the
succeeding ten years devoted his time and energies

400

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

to (Icaliug in live stock. At the expiration of tluit
lime he took up the pursuit to wliich he harl been
reared and has 'since been numbered among the
leading farmers of Jefferson County. His fust
farm was situated in Black Hasvk Township, Init
afterward he removed to another farm of one liun-
dred and sixty acres situated nearer tne city, and
in 1885 he took up his residence at his present
home where he now owns forty acres of land.

In political sentiment Mr. Noble is a standi
Republican and has been the people's choice to
represent them in a number of township offices,
ilie duties of which he discharged with prompt-
ness and fidelity, lie is a member of Fairfield
Lodge, No. 37, K. P., and is a man well informed
on tlie leading issues of tlie da}% both political and
otherwise. He was reared in the faith of the
Lutlicran Church and is now a member of that
denomination, while his wife holds membership
with the Methodist Episcopal Churcli. Tliis worthy
couple have a wide circle of friends and acquaint-
ance in Jefferson County, and this brief sketch of
tlieir lives will undoubtedly be received with inter-
est by many of our readers.

•m^.-

^^ mentof.

§5^. APT. DANn<]L RIDP:R. Among those
inenlly identided with the early settle-
!■ Iowa, must be mentioned the worthy
gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He was
born in Fayette County, Pa., November 28, 1808,
and is a son of Lawrence and Ann Maria (Wen-
baugh) Rider. His ancestors on both sides were
among the early colonists of Pennsylvania, and
both of his grandfathers evinced their patriotism
by serving in the Colonial army in the War of tlie
Revolution.

Our subject was reared on a farm until nineteen
3'ears of age when he learned the tanner's and
currier's trade in Claysville, of his native State, and
was engaged in that line of business for twenty
years. As a companion on life's journey he chose
Miss Ann McCall, their wedding taking place in

January, 1832, in Washington County, Pa. The
lady is a native of that count}- and is descended from
ail old family of Pennsylvania. Seven cliildren
were born to Captain and JIis. Rider, four sons
and tliree daughters, the record of whom is as
follows: Mary J., the eldest, deceased ; George L.
married Alatilda A. Conway, and is living in Cres-
ton, Pa. ; Ann Maria, wife of Andrew Simons,
deceased ; Thomas M. married Belle (t. Register
and is a farmer of Fairfield Township, Jefferson
County ; Emeline is the wife of Madison Black,
also a resident of Fairfield Township ; Henry
wedded Miss Sarah Gow and resides on the old
homestead in the same township ; William T. was
twice married, wedding Miss Katie Cobb after the
death of his first wife, whose maiden name was
.leunie M. Fry.

Capt. Rider is an old time Democrat and prior
to coming to Iowa was quite prominent in Penn-
sylvania politics. He was twice elected to the
House of Representatives of his native State, and
served two terms as a member of that body with
credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents.
He was also dejiuty United States Marshal of
Pennsylvania and assisted in taking the census of
the Keystone State in 1840.

In the fall of 1846, with the desire to benefit his
financial condition he emigrated to the newly made
State of Iowa, locating in Jefferson Count}'. Shortly
after his arrival he became associated in business
with Messrs. Henn and Williams, under the firm
name of Henn, Williams i& Co., real-estate dealers
of Fairfield, and was extensively engaged in locat-
ing and entering public lands. While devoting his
attention to that pursuit he located many thousand
acres of land in Iowa. The tract now embraced in
Sioux City was selected and entered by him as a
town site. In 1846, he settled upon the farm
which lie now owns and occupies in company with
his son Henry, the location being section 3, Fair-
field Township. In connection with the operation
of his land, which is always well cultivated and
improved, he has taken a warm interest in bee cul-
ture and has kept an apiar}- nearl}' forty years, uni
for many j'ears owned the largest in Jefferson
County, while it is now second in importance.

Mrs. Rider was a member of the L'nited Presby-

■i,' ^V'\.:m%

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

40»

terian C'luircli in earl^' life, hut later joined her
liiisliand in the Lutheran Churcli and was a member
of that society at the time of her death in Novem-
ber, 1872. The Captain has been a member of the
Lutheran Church .since 1848. He is one of the
oldest early surviving settlers of Jefferson County
and his acquaintance throus;hout the State is ex-
tensive. A man of genial and affable manner,
always ready to perform any favor in his power
for a friend, neighbor or stranger, Ca|)t. Rider has
made a host of friends and is regarded as one of
the most reliable and most highly esteemed citizens
of Jefferson County.

e

HARLES C. RISK, senior member of the
firm of Uisl<, Hufstedler and Whitham,
^^^^' the leading dr3--goods firm of Fairfield,
and also a member of .several other mercantile
houses, is a native of the Hawkeye State, his
birth having occurred in Washington County, No-
vember 16, 1839. His parents, R. C. and Susan
(Roberts) Risk, were pioneers of Brighton, Wasii-
ington Count}', Iowa, of 1837. They were orig-
inally from Pennsylvania, and on their emigration
lo the West located first in Northern Illinois,
near Rockford, where tliey spent a few years and
then came to Iowa, settling in Brighton. Mr.
Risk's father was engaged in farming and mer-
chandising and is "now engaged in loaning money
and attending to his landed interests.

The subject of this sketcli was reared to farm
life and was educated in the private and common
schools of the neighborhood. He began his business
(career as a salesman in his father's store in Brighton
and in 1862 was admitted to partnership One
year later he formed a partnership with Charles
Kremer, under the firm name of Risk & Kremer. gen-
eral merchants, which connection continued three
years, when ftlr. Risk bought out his [lartner and
continued the business one year, when he sold out
and removed to Manhattan Mills, Keokuk County.
The succeeding two yenrs he spent in milling, and

merchandising in that place, part of the time as a
partner of his father and part of the time connected
with Mr. Bryon. The year 1869 witnessed his arrival
in Fairfield, where he embarked in merchandising
for himself. In 1871 h(^ took Mr. Sheward.a former
clerk, into partnership, but after a year and a half
that connection was dissolved. In September, 1873,
he associated with him as a partner ^Villiam M. Huf-
stedler, the firm being Risk &, Hufstedler, dealers
in dry-goods, boots and shoes. In 1882 J. M.
Whitham bought an interest in the business and
the existing firm was formed. The house has a
complete tailoring establishment connected with it,
and does an annual business of about •i'SO.OOO.

In addition to the extensive mercantile house in
Fairfield, of which he is the head, Mr. Risk is con-
nected with several others of considerable import-
ance in neighboring cities, which he established,
and of which he is yet cither sole or part owner.
In 18(!9 he established a general store in Liberty-
ville, Iowa, which he operated alone until 1888,
since which lime Rola Warner h;is been his |>art-
ner and is now resident manager, the business being
conducted under the firm name of Risk & Warner.
When that establishment was jjlaced in good work-
ing order Mr. Risk started a general store in Bir-
mingham,\'an Buren County, in 1872, and continued
operations alone for ten 3ears, when he sold out to
Joseph Graham an interest in the business, which is
now carried on under the style of Risk & Graham.
He is also engaged in milling in Merrimac. The
firm of Bryon, Risk & Saltzman are proprietors of
the Merrimac Mills, of that place, and are doing
an extensive and successful business. During the
past year they converted into flour upwards of
thirty thousand bushels of wheat, besides grinding
some ten thousand bushels of other grain. The
firm also owns a stock farm of three hundred and
twenty acres in Walnut Township, where they an-
nually feed about two hundred head of cattle. At
one time Mr. Risk was running stores at Perlee
and loka, Iowa, in addition to those previousl}'
mentioned, having in all five separate stores at the
same time. He did all the buj'ing for the five and
kept all Eastern accounts and paid all bills, and
during this period kept the books for the Fairfield
firm. In connection with J. W. Burnett, he owns the

404

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Fairfield Canning Factory, having been identified
with that enterprise for three years. He is also
owner of a stock farm of about three hundred acres
lying in the township of F"airfield, where he feeds
about two hundred head of cattle annually. He has
been successfully engaged in the stock business for
the past five or six years, and during 1889 he fatted
and sold two hundred head of cattle.

Mr. Risk was married in Washington County,
Iowa, on the 22d of August, 1864, to Miss Sarah
J. Townsend, a daughter of J. D. Townsend. Mrs.
Risk was born in Lawrence County, Pa., and came
to Iowa in 1861.

Mr. Risk is a Republican in politics, but has
never sought or desired public office. He has pre-
ferred to devote his undivided attention to his ex-
tensive business interests, and has been eminently
successful in the various enterprises which he has
undertaken. Industrious and eneigetie, possessing
good executive ability and a thorough knowledge
of mercantile business, Mr. Risk has not only built
up an extensive and prosperous business for him-
self, but has also aided others in getting a start,
choosing his partners generally from those who
have been his clerks for years and whose ability
and trustworthiness he has fully tested.

•m~~i

' OEL E. CAMPBELL, an early settler who
for man}' years was a prominent merchant
of Fairfield, but is now living a retired life
on his farm, was born in Washington, Wash-
ington County, Pa., March 23, 1822, and is a son
of William Passinore and Catherine (Poole) Camp-
bell. His father was born in Maryland, October
26, 1796, and was of .Scotch and English descent.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was a na-
tive of Scotland and in his youth came to America,
where he married Miss Passmore, a lady of Eng-
lish origin. William Campbell, who in pursuit of
fortune engaged in merchandising, died June 29,
1825, at the early age of twenty-nine years. His

wife, who was born in Richmond, ^'a., in 1 795, long
survived her husband and died in Fairfield, Iowa,
in 1875, at the age of eighty years.

The subject of this sketch was reared in his na-
tive town and educated in ^Vashington College.
He entered upon his business career as a salesman
in a mercantile establishment and was married, in
Wheeling, Va., on the loth of April, 1848, to Miss
Anna Eliza Crawford. This ladj- is a daughter of
James and Margaret Crawford, and was born in the
city of Steubenville, Ohio, in 1831.

Prior to his marriage, in 1845, Mr. Campbell
came to Jefferson County, Iowa, and purchased a
tract consisting of four hundred acres of land in
Fairfield Township, which is a part of his present
farm and which has now been in his possession for
almost half a century. He remained but a short
time in Iowa and then returned to Pennsylvania,
but in 1847 he made a second trip to Fairfield and
two years later established a general stor» in this
city in company with James Eckert. Leaving the
business in the care of his partner, he returned to
Pennsylvania, closed up his affairs in that Slate and
in April, 1850, brought his famil}- to Fairfield.
His residence and a store were on the present site
of the First National Bank, and he continued busi-
ness at that point until 1858, when he sold out but
made his home in the city until 1875, when he re-
moved to his farm, which is situated on the east
half of section 11, Fairfield Township, and which
has sin(;e been his place of residence. He now owns
five hundred acres of rich prairie land, well im-
proved, and his home a tasty and commodious
brick structure, is pleasantly situated in the edge
of an extensive maple grove that shelters it from
the northwest winds and forms a bower of beauty
around it.

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are the parents of six
children, four of whom are living: William P., who
married Melo Palmer, resides in Los Vegas, N.
Mex., where he publishes the Los Vegas Optic, of
which he is editorial manager; James, the second
child died at the age of one 3^ear, and Crawford
died in infancy; Samuel, unmarried, is a practicing
physician of Omaha, Neb.; Eugene was joined in
wedlock with Miss Minnie Derr, and is a leading
iiomeopathi( pliysiei;m of Fairfield; Anna is the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

465

wife of Joseph Wliitham, junior partner of tlie 8rm
of Risk, Hufstedler A- Wliitiiam. of FairBeld.

Mr. Campbell casts his ballot in support of the
Demoeracv and keeps himself well informed on
public affairs but has never sought or desired i)oliti-
cal distinction. He is a gentleman of su|)erior busi-
ness ability and has been successful in his undertak-
ing much be3'ond the average of men. His course
in life has been marked by strict integrity and
fairness and has won for him the respect and esteem
of his fellow-citizens. He is truly one of the rep-
resentative men of the county for he has been
prominently connected with her business interests
and with the growth, progress and advancement
she has made.

GiEOROE W. DA\ID.SON. who is engaged in
, farming on section 21, Bonaparte Township,
^j has resided in Van Buren County for fifty-
four consecutive years, and is therefore numbered
among its earliest settlers. The public enterprises
of the countJ^ such as were jcahiulated for the up-
building of the community have received his sup-
port, and with the growth of the county he has
been prominently identified, especially has he been
instrumental in the development of its wild land.
He is a native of Georgetown, Brown County,
Ohio, born December 18, 1818, and is a son of
John and Mary (West) Davidson, the former a na-
tive of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Maryland.
In childhood the}' removed with their respective
families to Kentuck}-, settling near Augusta at an
early day, when the country round about was wild
and unimproved. Having married, they settled in
Brown County. In the midst of the heavy tim-
bered region Mr. Davidson developed a farm.
Twelve children were born of his union with Miss
West, eleven of whom lived to mature years, and
emigrated to Iowa. The eldest of the family is
John AV.; Eliza married Gibson Hessler, and both
are now deceased; Nancy married Samuel Hessler,
and died in this county; Benjamin F., when last

heard of was in Texas; George W. is the next
younger; Christopher C. died in the South during
thfe Rebellion ; Oliver E. went to Texas, and in
18(52 started for the North. Being forced into the
service, he wtnt to Ft. Hudson, and was captured
by Gen. Banks. He was sent to the hospital at New
Orleans, where he is supposed to have died ; Thomas
P. died in tlie South; Mary Ann became the wife
of James Schoolcraft, and removed to Texas, but
during the Rebellion they returned to this count}',
where both died; Matilda became the wife of Dan-
iel McCoy, and died in this county; Susan became
the wife of Jacob Gaidenhyre, and is living in the
South. One child died in infancy. In 1836, Mr.
Davidson, the father f)f this family, brought his
wife and children to A'an Buren County, but sub-
sequently removed to Texas, where he died in
1873. In his early life he was a Whig, but on the
dissolution of that party became a Democrat. A
ma)) of worth and intelligence, he became a promi-
inent citizen, and his opinions bore weight wherever
they were expressed. He was a member of the first
Constitutional Convention from Van Buren Count}-.
His wife died in 1 8G7.

Grandfather Joshua Davidson was seven years
in the Revolutionary War; was in the artillery, the
firing of which much im|)aired his hearing. His
father came from Scotland, and settled in Pennsyl-
vania, and his mother, Ellen Beam, emigrated from
Germany.

The subject of this sketch was educated in the
county of his nativity, and in his boyhood days
was a school mate of U. S. Grant when thev at-
tended the log schoolhouse together. At the ao-e
of sixteen years he accf)mpanied the family on
their removal to A'ermilion County. III. Durino-
their journey they i)assed through Indianapolis,
then a mere hamlet containing but few houses. As
before stated, the month of July, 1836, witnessed
his arrival in Van Buren County, then a part of
the Territory of Wisconsin. He has borne his share
in the hardships and trials of pioneer life, antl aided
in the arduous task of developing from the wild
land a fertile farm.

Mr. Davidson has been twice married. In 1840
he led to the marriage altar Miss Hannah A. Tomp-
kins, daughter of Sarles and Anna Tomi)kins, and

406

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

a distant relative of Gov. Tompkins, of New Yoik,
of wliicli State slie'was a native. By tlieir union
were born seven children as follows: SarlesT., who
enlisted in the Second Iowa Infantry, was wounded
in the thigh, at Corintii,"]Miss., and] served three
years; Joanna, wife of John Ray, of Lewis County.
Mo.; James, who is living in Van Buren County;
Mary E., wife of William Scott, of Colorado;
Maria, wife of Samuel Giles, of Lewis County Mo.;
Sarali J., wife of James Tompkins, of California;
and Lima, wife of Pierce Bradford, who makes his
homo in ^'an Buren County. Mrs. Davidson died
on the ;iOlli of Juno, 188fi, and her loss was sin-
cerely mourned by many friends as well as her im-
mediate family. She was reared in the faith of the
Society of Friends. On the 9th of April, 1889, Mr.
Davidson was again married, the lady of his choice
being Miss Nancy A. Pervines, daughter of James
and Mary Ann Pervines, pioneer settlers of this
county. She is a Presbyterian.

Few have longer been residents of Van Buren
County tlian he whose name heads this sketch, there
are not many more widely known, and none are
held in higher esteem. He has made farming his
life occupation, and devoted himself to that pur-
suit in a quiet, unassuming manner, at the same
time faithfull}^ discharging his duties of citizenship.
Politicallj', he was a Whig, then a Republican until
of later years, now being conservative.

GEORGE FATHERSON, a farmer and stock
raiser on section 34, Des Aloines Town-
"^V JJI ghip^ js n lepresentative of one of the pio-
neer families of Van Buren County. He is of
English birth, but no truer American citizen finds
a home in Iowa, and among his fellow townsmen
he is held in high regard. He was born in Che-
shire, England, August 17, 183G, being the young-
est son of Thomas and Martha (Simpson) Father-
son, who were natives of the same count} . His
father, unaccompanied by any member of his fam-
ily, left England In 1839, crossed the Atlantic to

America, and made a settlement in Van Buren
County, Iowa, where he entered a section of land
on Indian Creek. After making preparations for a
home, he was joined by his wife and children in
1854. Farming was the means he used to secure a
livelihood, and by strict attention to his business
he had acquired at the time of his death, which oc-
curred in 18G6, a comfortable property. His wife
survived him some twelve 3'ears, dying in 1871.
Of their once large family which numbered thir-
teen members, only four are now living: William,
who is married and resides in Canada; Elizabeth,
now Mrs. Hankey, of Kansas; and Thomas, who is
living in Des Moines Township, Van Buren County.
The fourth member of the family is he whose
name heads this sketch. George Fatherson passed
his early life in his native land, and was educated
in its public schools. With his mother, brothers
and sisters, he bade good-by to his English home in
18.54, and came to the New World, joining his fa-
ther in Van Buren County, Iowa, He was then
eighteen years of age, and shortly afterward he be-
gan life for himself, working as a farm hand. Hav-
ing by industry and economy accumulated some
means, in 185G he made his first purchase of land,
consisting of an eightj'-acre tract, to the improve-
ment of which he devoted his energies until 1864,
when he made an overland trip to California. The
succeeding three 3-ears of his life he was engaged
in farming on the Pacific Coast, but in that time he
became convinced that Iowa was the home for him,
and he returned to Van Buren County. Shortly
afterwiird he led to the marriage altar Miss Edilha
Phillips, a native of Licking County, Ohio, and a
daughter of John and Matilda (Pumphrey) Phil-
lips, who were also born in Licking County. The
year 1840 witnessed their emigration to Van Buren
County, and locating in Des Moines Township,
Mr. Phillips opened up a farm which continued to
be his home up to the time of his death, which oc-
curred in 1874. His wife jneccded him eleven
years, dying in 1803. Mr. Phillips was one of the
influential and respected citizens of the county. He
took a prominent part in political affairs, was an
ardent supi:)orter of Republican principles, and did
all in his power for the success of the parly. But
he was most actively eng.aged In religious work, and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

407

his faith and belief prompted him to perform works
of charity and benevolence, and acts of kindness
which won iiim the love and regard of all, and en-
shrined his memory in the hearts of tliose upon
whom he bestowed his favors.

Mr. and Mrs. Fathei'son- have spent their entire
married life on the farm wliich is still their home,

e

and tiiere have been born unto them three children
— Mattie, Thomas, and John, all of whom are yet
living. The two eldest are graduates of the High
School of Keosauqua, and John is now pursuing the
required course of study in that school. The home
of this family is a pleasant residence situated in
the aiidst of two hundred and eighty acres of valu-
able land, which is under a liigh state of cultiva-
tion. Theie are found all the needed improve-
ments, and many of an ojnamental character. A
chief branch of the industry of Mr. Fatherson. is
stock-raising, he making a specialty of thorough-
bred Durham cattle and Shropshire sheep. His
political sentiments are Republican, he having voted
with tliat party since becoming an American citi-
zen. For several consecutive years he has held the
office of Justice of the Peace, and has aho been a
member of the School Board. The cauSe of educa-
tion finds in him a warm friend, and he has done
not a little to advance the standard of the schools
in this community. Thirtj-six years have come
and gone since Mr. Fatlierson located in this county,
and many are the changes which have taken place
during that interval. It has also brought pros|)er-
ity to him through his own efforts, and after his
name may be written the words of praise, "a self-
made man."

*^^l<^

■^Y/OHN ROSS, a representative farmer of Fair-
field Township, Jefferson County, residing
on section 3, has been connected with the
growth and advancement of tliis community
since April. 186(">. He was born in Fayette County,
Pa., and owns an interest in a farm which has
been in possession of the family since 1783, The

first member of the family of whom wc have any
locord was Robert Ross, the grandfather of a sec-
ond Robert Ross, who was the original ancestor of
the American branch, and the great-grandfather of
our subject. The father of John Ross was Hanan-
lali Ross, who was born April 18, 1800, and died in
the same house where his birth occurred. The
maiden name of his wife was Hannah Rider.

The subject of this sketch received a common-
school education and was reared to farm life. He
visited Jefferson County in 1847 on a prospecting
tour but did not then make a location. He re-
turned to his native State and on the 10th of Fel)-
ruary of the following year was united in marriage
with Miss Rebecca J. Winders, a daughter of Sam-
uel and Margaret (Burnside) Winders. She was
born in Meadeville, Pa., and her mother belonged
to the same family of which Gen. Burnside was a
member. The following children graced their union:
Laura; Virginia ; George Y., who married Emma
Ross and is now a dealer in hardware and machin-
ery in Piano, Iowa ; Jessie S., wife of Thomas
Davies, who is living in Black Hawk Township,
Jefferson County; William G., an attornej' of Fair-
field, and Alma. Margaret and Josiah, the two
ekiest of the family died at the ages of twelve and
twenty-two years respectiveh'.

For a few years after his marriage, Mr. Ross en-
gaged in farming in his native State but in 1855
turned his attention to merchandising which he
carried on in Masontown, Pa., for some eleven
years. Selling out in 1866, he then came to Jeff-
erson County' and making a location on section 3,
Fairfield Township, has since carried on farming
with some degree of success. As regards his po-
litical sentiments he is now a Republican, having
supported that party since its organization. His
first Presidential vote was cast in 1849 for Zacli-
ary Taylor. Mr. Ross was instrumental in the or-
ganization of the County Agricultural Association
whicli has now been in existence for fifteen years.
He was made its first secretary and still holds the
position, having been continuously in that office
witli the exception of three terms. He has also
been the Secretary of the School Board of Fairfield
Township for a continuous period of twenty years
and ha§ dope not a littje for the advancement of

408

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBLM.

the cause of education in this neighborliood. Mr.
Ross is an enterprising and successful farmer and
lias been lu'ominently identified with the public
affairs of Jefferson County since his arrival in Iowa,
and takes rank among its representative citizens.

^^

yfclLLIAM ANSON, a farmer and stock-
/ raiser of Henry Township, residing on
'^^ section 9. has spent almost his entire life
in Van Buren County. He was born in Pike
Count}', Mo., on December 10, 1827, and at the
age of seven years accompanied his parents, Henry
and Elizabeth (Paralee) Anson, to Iowa. Beiiig
the youngest in a family of twelve children the
advantages which he received in his youth were
necessarily limited. The fiist school which he at-
tended was taught by Dr. Comstock in a log
building, the dimensions of which were 8x8 feet.
He there conned his first lessons and in the district
schools of the neighborhood acquired a knowledge
of the common branches. The companions of his
boyhood were mostly Indian lads, for the red men
were still numerous in the neighborhood having
not yet left for their western reservation. He
became well acquainted with the chiefs. Black
Hawk and Keokuk, who frequently came to his
father's home and remained for a meal.

At eighteen years of age Mr. Anson began life
for himself. By that time his older brothers and
sisters were almost all married and left the parental
roof for homes of tlieir own and he took upon
himself the management and care of the home-
stead farm. In 1862 he was united in marriage
with Miss Charlotla Martin, a daughter of Abner
and Louisa (White) Martin, who are numljered
among the pioneer settlers of Van Buren County.
The same spring be purchased two hundred and
fifty acres of partially improved land in Henry
Township which constitutes a portion of his present
farm and began its development, transforming the
wild prairie into rich and fertile fields. As his
financial resgurges were increased, the result of his

energy and industry, he extended the boundaries
of his farm and purchased other lands until his
possessions now aggregate seven hundred and ten
acres. The homestead is one of the finest farms in
the community, having good buildings, well kept
fences and the latest improved machinery which
together with his comfortable residence plainly in-
dicSites that the owner is a man of thrift and enter-
Ijrise. In addition to general farming he carries
on stock raising, keeping on hand only improved
grades. In political sentiment, Mr. Anson is a
Republican and in the success of his party manifests
a deep interest. The cause of education finds in
him a warm friend and any worthy object calcu-
lated to benefit or upbuild the county ma^' feel
assured that it will receive his hearty support and
co-operation.

Mr. and Mrs. Anson are llie parents of five
children now living and they lost one son, (5rant,
who died in 1864. Those who still survive are
Belle, Owen, Iowa, Curtis and Fred.

^^

ENRY C. HILL, of the firm of Bell, Hill &
Kays, dealers in grain, lumber, seeds and
^^ live stock, is one of the leading business
men of Milton. This business, in which he
is now a partner, was established by J. D. Hollings-
head about 1880, who, five years later, was joined
by C. E. r>uli and the business carried on under
the firm name of llollingshead & Bull. In 1887,
Mr. HoUingshead retired, Mr. Hill purchasing his
interest and the firm style was changed to Bull ife
Hill, under which business was conducted until
July, 1890, when Mr. Bull retired and the existing
partnership between Messrs. Bell, Hill & Kays was
formed. This house does an annual business
amounting to upw-ards of $250,000, and the mem-
bers of the firm rank among the progressive and
enterprising citizens of Milton.

The subject of this sketch, Ilenr}' C. Hill, was
born in Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio, Octol)er 5,
1843, and is the son of Hazen II. and Louisa E.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

409

(Norton) Hill. His fatliei- was born near Concoi-rl,
N. H.. July 10, 1813, and was .Icseended from an
old New England family, llis mother was born in
Rutland County, Vt., Juno :5, 1818, and was of
Scotch descent. They were married in Huron
County, Ohio, and had a family of seven cliildren,
six sons and one daughter. Tht» sons are nil yet
living. Tlie father died December 19, 18G.T. luit
the mother survives and is still a resident of the
old home in phio.

Henry C. was reared on a farm and received such
educational advantages as were afforded by the
common schools of that day. He was msirried .'Sep-
tember 8, 1809. to Miss riiffibe A. Riggs, daugh-
ter of Edward and Mary Jane (Buck) Riggs, and
the following April removed witii his young bride
to Sullivan County, Mo., where he embarked in
merchandising. He was engaged in business in
Scottsville,of that county for four years, and eight
years at Browning, and his efforts were attended
with a good degree of success. It was in 1882 that
after selling out in Missouri he came to Milton,
Iowa, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits with
John C. Calhoun, they purchasing tlic trade and
stock of John W. Carr. That connection contin-
ued four years when the partnership was dissolved
and Blr. Hill returned to his native State, but after
a year spent in Ohio he again came to Iowa, in
1887, and bought into the lumber and grain busi-
ness witli ]Mr. Bull. In connection with tlie mer-
cantile business, during his residence in Missouri,
he was extensively engaged as a dealer in live stock,
and that branch of the business of the present lirni
is an important one. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have two
children — Hazen Henry, born August 26, 1870, in
Scottsville, Mo., and Harry Wilford, born in
Browning, Mo., July 10, 1875. Mr. Hill is a Re-
publican in politics, and soeiallj-, a member of
Jackson Lodge, No. 28, I. O. O. F. His wife holds
membership in the Baptist Church.

The war record of the subject of this sketch is as
follows. On the 18ih of February, 1864. he enlisted
as a member of Company C, Fifty- fifth Ohio Infan-
try and served until the cessation of hostilities, be-
ing discharged May 29, 1865. He participated in
the battles of Resaea, New Hope Church, Kenesaw
Mountain and the battles before Atlanta, and was

with (ien. .Sherman in the celebrated march to the
sea. He was also engaged in the Carolina cam-
paigns and at the battle of Aberysborough, N. C,
on the 16th of March, 1865, received a gun-shot
wound through the left hip, which injured him
severely. After remaining a time in the field hos-
pital he vvas removed to David's Island Hospital,
from which he was discharged on the 29th of May,
following.

Mr. Hill is an active, enterprising and successful
business man and, with his partners, has built up
an extensive business in their line as the figures
show. They handle annually from fifty thousand
to seveiity-tive thousand bushels of grain, and live
hundred thousand feet of lumber and a large
amount of live stock, aggregating about a quarter
of a milllion dollars in value.

<$ IMLLIAM EDMONDSON, deceased, is num-
\rJ// bered among the honored pioneers of Van
^^^ Buren County, of 1846. He was born in
Rockbridge County, A'a., March .3, 1795, and was
descended from an old Mrginia family. The days
of his boyhood and youth were spent upon his
father's farm and in his native State he was mar-
ried, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary B.
McCutehan, daughter of William and Margaret
McCulchan, and a native of Augusta Count}', Va.,
born on the 27th of January, 1805, of Scotch and
Irish descent.

Mr. Edmondson was a soldier in the United
States Army during the War of 1812. Shortly af-
ter his marriage, he removed with his bride to
Henry County, Ind., where they resided until the
spring of 1846, when they came to Iowa and set-
tled in the northern ])art of Jackson Township.Van
Buren County. They traveled by team and en-
dured all the hardships and disadvantages incident
to the emigration to a new country. Unto this
worthy couple were born five children, three sons
and two daughters. Henry, the el(\est, died Sep-
tember, 24, 1834; Sarah, died at the age of eight

410

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

years; Mary J., is now the wife of J. C. Holland, of
Jackson Township; John C, married Maria Strain
and resides upon tlie old homestead; William F.,
wedded Clara Williamson, the present Postmistress
of Milton, and is now Cashier of the Citizens' Rank
at that place.

With the assistance of his sons, Mr. Edmondson
improved a farm in Jackson Township, placing un-
der a high state of cultivation the land on which he
settled and which in return yielded him a golden
tribute for his care and labor. He was apjiointed
Postmaster of the Oak Point post office, in Jackson
Township, the first established ofHce in that town-
ship; being the second to fill the position. He re-
ceived his commission in 1856, and iiis term of
service continued ten years or until he was called
to his final rest on the 13th of October, 1866. On
the death of Mr. Edmondson, his son, John C, suc-
ceeded to the post-otfice, which he held five years
and in turn he was succeofled by the youngest son,
William F., who held the position ten years, so that
the office was in the famil}' for a quarter of a cen-
tury.

Jn earh' life, Mr. Edmondson was a Whig and af-
ter the dissolution of that parlj' became a Demo-
crat. Both he and his wife were members of the
Presbyterian Cliurcli and lived upright and faith-
ful lives. Mrs. Edmondson survived her husband
many 3-ears, dying on the 27lh of January', 1886,
on her eighty-first birthday. Both were highly re-
spected and useful members of society.

•■SM^w-;*!^

«S?«C^««tffe^-

"^wjOSEPH GRAHAM, of the firm of Risk i-
Graham, merchants of Birmingiinm, Van
Buren County, is a native of Ohio, and his

W parents, Joseph and Mary (Glover) Graham,
weie natives of Virginia and Pennsylvania respect-
ively. During the days of youth and maidenhood,
they emigrated to Ohio where they were married
and where was born unto them a family of eight
children, six of whom are yet living. Joseph is
the sixth in order of birth, and was but ten years

of age at the time of his mother's death. His
father subsequcntl}' married again and emigrated
to Van Buren County, Iowa, in 1849, locating nine
miles west of Biimingham, from wliich farm he re-
moved after two years to one adjoining the city
limits. Throughout his entire life he engaged in
agricultuial iniisuits. He enlisted in the War of
1812, but peace was declared before his regiment
was called into action. In political sentiment, he
was first a AVIiig and later a Republican and both
he and his wife were members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church until late in life, when he joined
the Free Methodists.

The birth of our subject occurred in Noble
County, Ohio, April 21,1832, and in his native
State engaged in farm labor, he was reared to man-
hood. Like thousands of others his educational
advantages were limited to those of the district
schools, but reading and observation in after life
have made him a well-informed man. He gave his
service to his father until he was twenty-five years
of age and in the years which have followed has
gained his entire property. On the 30th of October,
18u6, hewas uniteil in raarringe with Miss Mar-
garet Walter, a native of Barbour County, W. Va.,
born in September 1835. She came to Van Bureu
County, Iowa, with her parents in 1854, and their
union was blessed with four children, of whom, the
eldest, George W., died at the age of twenty-two
years, while Letitia V., the youngest, died in in-
fancy; Elmer E., is master of the Union Depot at
Minneapolis, Minn.; and James H. is a sales-
man for Risk it Hnfstedler, of Fairfield. The mother
of this famil}', a consistent member of the Free
Methodist Church and a lady possessing many ex-
cellencies of character, died December 22, 1877.
On the 2nd of December, 1880, Mr. Graham wed-
ded Olivia L. Noreross, a native of Wisconsin.

The business history of our subject is as follows:
On starting out in life for himself he engaged in
operating a saw mill, Benjamin Casner being asso-
ciated with him as his partner for three years. Sub-
sequently he was engaged in running the engine
and the saw for the Birmingham mill, when, in
November, 1870, he entered the empk)3' of C. C.
Risk as a salesman in his large general store at Bir-
mingham,wlio pLiced the entire charge of the busi-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

411

ness in his hands. For nine years he served in
tliat capacity when he was admitted to partnersliip,
a relation which has continued for eleven consec-
utive years with good feeling on both sides, while
from a financial standpoint it has also been a suc-
cess. In connection with his interest in the busi-
ness, Mr. Graham is also the owner of eighty .icres
of land, comprised in the old homestead. He may
truly be called a self-made man, who by his own
efforts has gained a comfortable competence for
which he deserves no little credit. Asa supporter
of the Republican party, for many years he cast his
ballot luit in later }-ears has identified himself with
the ProhibUonists. He has been honored with the
offices of Ma^'or and Councilman of Birmingham,
which he filled with credit to himself and satisfac-
tion to his constituents. Mr. and Mrs. Graham are
members of the Free Methodist Church, in whic'h
he holds the office of Trustee, and in the Sunday-
school he serves as Superintendent. His public
and private life arc alike above reproach, com-
mending him to the confidence of all with whom
becomes in contact. The home of himself and his
worthy wife is noted for its hospitality and their
friends in the community are man}'.

RANKLIX P. MOWERY. an intelligent
and progressive farmer and stock-raiser of
Jefferson County, resides on section 30,
Polk Township, and is a representative of one
of the highly respected families of the community.
His [larents, David and Sarah (Dial) Mowery, were
natives of Ohio, where their marriage was celebrated
and whence they came to Jefferson County in
1845. Mr. Mowerj' settled upon the farm in
Polk Township, where our subject now resides, and
entered four hundred acres of land, which farm he
afterwards incrtased b}- subsequent purchase. He
was well pleased with his new home in the West
and continued here to live until life's journey was
ended. He passed away in 1877, and his wife died
in 1886. Ho faithfully discharged all his duties of

citizenship, lived an upright and useful life, and it
was therefore an occasion of deep regret on the
part of many friends when the news of his death
reached them.

F. P. Mowery, whose name heads this sketch,
was the tenth in order of birth in a family of
twelve children. He was liberally educated, his
primary course of training being &upi)lemented b}-
two years attendance at the Axline Academy, of
Fairfield, and a two j'ears course in the Iowa
Business and Normal College, of Des Moines. For
some eighteen months he then engaged in real-
estate dealing in Des Moines, but at the end of that
time returned to Jefferson County and resumed the
occupation to which he had been reared. In 1877,
he led to the marripge altar Miss Cora Kirby.
The lady was born in Warren County, 11!., and is a
daughter of John and Anna (Osborn) Kirby, who
removed from Illinois to Jefferson County, Iowa,
in 1870. For some time they made their home in
Polk Township, but are now residents of Fairfield.
Mr. Kirby was born in Pennsylvania, and in
Illinois, in 1856, wedded Miss Osborn, who was a
native of the Empire State, whence she had
removed to Illinois with her parents in girlhood.
To Mr. and Mrs. Mowery have been born four
children — Gaylord, Paul, Carrie and Earl, and the
family circle yet remains unbroken.

This worthy couple began their domestic life
upon the farm on which they still make their
home. It now comprises two hundred and seven
acres, divided into fields of convenient size which
are well kept and improved. In the barns are
found some fine specimens of Kentucky Short-horn
cattle, of which he makes a specialty, together with
other good grades of stock. The secret of his
success in life is contained in the one short word,
work. He is now numbered among the substantial
citizens of the community, po.ssessing a competence
which furnishes him witli all the comforts of life,
together with many of its luxuries. He takes
an active interest in political affairs and on ques-
tions of national importance casts his ballot with
the Democratic partj-, but .at local elections his
support is given to the man whom he thinks
will best fill the position. He has served both as
Treasurer and Secretary of the School Board, an<l

412

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

has done not a little for the advancement of the
cause of education in tliis community. He is an
Iioiiored member of botli the Odd Fellows society
and Masonic fraternity, belonging to Abingdon
Lodge, No. 408, I. O. O. F., of which he has been
Commander and Inside Guard, and also belongs to
Abingdon Lodge, No. 104, A. F. and A. M.,
of which he is now Secretary. He and his wife
hold a high position in the social world due to
tlieir worth and intelligence, and are people whom
any community might be proud to claim as
citizens.

^AMES A. FOAVLER, a self-made man and
highly respected citizen of Van Buren
Countj% owns two hundred and seventeen
and one-half acres of the fine farming laud
of Sf)utheastern Iowa. His home farm comprises
(ine hundred and fifty seven and one-half acres on
section 9, Vernon Township, while a quarter section
of land in Henry Township also pa\'s to him a
golden tribute. His parents, Henry and Mary
(M(jore) Fowler, arc numbered among the pioneers
of Aan Buren Count}-. In 1843 they made a set-
tlement near Bonaparte, but shortl}' aftervvards the
father was drowned in the Des Moines River dur-
ing a flood, being carried over the dam near Bona-
parte. His wife survived him about ten years,
when she too was called to her final rest. In their
family were five children, but only three of the
number grew to mature years: Catherine, wife of
Thomas Minshall, of Huston County, Minn.; Lu-
cretia, deceased wife of Joseph Doffelenge; and
James A., of this sketch.

Our subject was born in Indiana in 1842, and at
the age of twelve years was left an or|)han. Two
years later he began life for himself as a farm
hand, working in that capacity for about seven
years or until the fall of 1862, when he responded
to his country's call for troops, enlisting on the
Joth of September, as a member of Company D,

Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, under Capt. Charles J.
McGinnis. He was mustered into service at Keo-
kuk and the regiment was assigned to the First
Division, Fifteenth Corps of the Army of the
Tennessee. After spending a few weeks at Benton
Barracks, Mo., the troops were sent down the Mis-
sissipi^i River to Helena, Ark , where for the first
time Mr. Fowler was surrounded by the leaden
hail and became acquainted with the horrors of
war. Afterwards he parliciiiated in the Black River
expedition and with his regiment took part in many
of the famous and hard fought battles of the war,
including the engagements at Mcksburg, Jackson,
Miss., Arkansas Post, Big Black River, the seige
of Vicksbui-g, the battles of Port Hudson, Little
Rock, Ark., Brownville, Miss., Dalton, Ga., Chat-
tanooga, Tenn., Cane Creek, Ala., Lookout Moun-
tain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Ga., Kenesaw
Mountain, Lone Mountain. Buzzard's Roost, Taylor
Ridge, Ga., Decatur, Ala., Resaca, and Dallas, Ga.,
the battle of New Hope Church, Marietta, Big
Shanty, the two battles of Atlanta, Jonesboro,
Griswoldville and the seige of Savannah. He ac-
companied Gen. Sherman on the celebrated March
to the Sea, and then returned participating in the
Carolina cam|)aign to Richmond, \'a. At Resaca
he received a gunsiiot wound in the left leg just
above the ankle joint, but as he was color-bearer
of his regiment he remained at his post and car-
ried the banner forward to victory. His service
was an arduous one, in which he encountered great
risks but he was ever found at his post of duty,
valiantly defending the old flag but at the close of
the war he was honorably discharged and was mus-
tered out in Washington, D. C, on the 5th of June,
1 86.5.

When his country no longer needed his services,
Mr. Fowler returned to his home and once more
engaged in work .as a farm hand. In 1867, he was
united in mairiage with Miss Amanda I'erkius,
daughter of William and Mary(iMyers) Perkins.
They have two cliildren, a son and daughter: Will-
iam, who is married and operates iiis father's farm
in Vernon Township; and Anna M., at home, and
Bertha, who died when about five years old Mr.
F"owler purchased and moved to his farm in Vernon
Township in the spring of 1874. It comprise^

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM,

413

one buiidred and fifty-seven and one-half acres
under a high state of cultivation but in a short
time he expects to remove to his farm in Henry
Township. He is a rei)resentative farmer of the
community who thoroughly understands his busi-
ness in all its details and as a result of good man-
agement, industry and perseverance he has now a
comfortable competence. He certainly deserves
great credit for his success and may truly be called
a self-made man. Beginning life for himself at a
tender age he steadily worked his way upward,
overcoming the difliculties and obstacles which lay
in his path. In political sentiment Mr. Fowler is
a Republican and takes an active interest in the
growth and success of his party. He has been
honored with a number of local offices, held the
position of Assessor for five consecutive years,
served as T(.wnshi|) Trustee and for the past i\ve
years has been a member of the County Board
of Supervisors. He always attends thd county
conventions of his county as a delegate and his
opinions carry weight with them in those assem-
blies. He is a member of Slniver Post, G. A. U.
of Keosauqua, and is a member of the Ma-
sonic and Odd Fellows societies. He contri-
butes liberally to the support of churches and
charitable and benevolent institutions, and has al-
ways taken an active part in everything pertaining
to the community and its best interests. Both he
and his vvife and daughter are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, of Mt. Sterling and
have lived consistent Christian lives.

s^^
^^^

,ORTER PLEASANTS is the senior member
of the hardware firm of P. & R. W. Pleas-
ants. In i)reseuling his sketch to the readers
of the Album, we record the life work of
one of Birmingham's most enterprising citizens,
whose business industry and energy have done not
a little for the upbuilding of the city.

The I'leasants family is of English extraction
and was foun(Ied in America during the early days

of ^'irgin^an history'. The Goff family, from
which our subject is descended on the maternal
side, was one of the early families of Massachusetts
and had its representatives in the Revolutionary
War. The gun which the great-grandfather of
our subject carried during that struggle is uow in
possession of Charles C. Pleasants, father of Porter,
and is one of the cherislicd relics of the family.

Mr. Pleasants is a Bostonian bj- birth, the date
of his arrival in that city being 1812. When he
was ten j'ears of age, he was left an or|ihan and
soon afterward was bound out to learn the ship
carpenter's trade. With the son of his "boss,"
who was captain of a vessel, he went to sea, and
believing that he was able to look after his own
affairs, he left his master and for twelve years con-
tinued to follow that life. He arose to the position
of mate, but not having cihication enough to permit
further advancement, he left the ocean and worked
at his trade on the Erie Canal. Jn Seneca County.
N. Y., he married Miss Sarah A. Goff, who was
born in that county in 1818. Believing that it
would be for the interests of his family to make a
home in the West, in 1855, he came to ^'an Bureii
County and for a time kept a hotel in Birmingham.
Twent}--two years later he and his sons opened a
hardware store in Birmingham which has been
carried on by the family' continuously since. In
1882, Porter and Richard W. became sole proprie-
tors and are still the owners of the establishment.
In the family were six children: George W., a
ranchman and teacher of California; Porter,
whose name heads this sketch; Charles H., a resi-
dent farmer, of Brown County, South Dak.; Elea-
nora, wife of G. B. Sapp of Illinois; Frances M.,
wife of Robert Fee, of California; and Richard W.,
Charles H. served two 3'ears in the late war as a
member of the Fifth lovva Infantry.

To return to the history of our subject. He
was born in Seneca County, N. Y., on the 25th of
March, 1843, and w-as twelve j-ears of age when he
accompanied the family to the then far western
stale of Iowa. Four years later he was apprenticed
to learn the cabinet trade but ere the completion
of his term of service he enlisted for tlie late war,
becoming a member of Company II, Fifth Iowa In-
fantry, the Hist company tliat went from Binning-

414

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

hatti, in July, 186L After operating under Fre-
mont in ilissouii, with Pope, tlie troops went to
tiie captnre of New Mailrid and when tliat was
accomplished proceeded up the Tennessee River to
tlie siege of Corinth, where he was stationed during
a greater part of the summer. Receiving his die-
char!,e in Deeembei', 1862, at Quincy, III., Mr.
Pleasants returned to his home and finished learn-
ing his trade in Fairfield, after which lie spent a
year working at the same in Hannibal, Mo. In
1865, he crossed the plains to California, reaching
after five months of travel, Virginia Cit}-, Nev.,
where he carried on operations as a millwright for
about four years. In tiie meanlime, the Pacific
Railroad was constructed, and in 1869 he returned
to Iowa by rail, bat after a few months spent at
home again traveled, but this time his course laid
southward. He found work in iVew Orleans very
scarce and soon the supply of means which he and
his frienil had brought with them was exhausted,
liut still no work. Mr. Pleasants then pawned
some of his clothes, but the money thus obtained
was also spent before work was secured. As they
saw no opportunity for securing work at their
trade, thej' shoveled dirt on the levee for a few
ilnys and then started for Jackson, Miss., making
ih(' entire distance one hundred and fifty miles, on
foot. There occurred a change in his fortune and
liis efforts to secure employment were at last met
with success. He erected a number of sawmills
and became superintendent of the machinery in a
planing mill.

It was also in the South, that on Christmas Day
of 1870. Mr. Pleasants was joined in wedlock with
,AIiss Sarah Warner, who was born near Jackson,
Miss., December 13, 1848. In 1872, they returned
to Birmingham but soon afterwards went to Jack-
sonville,111., Mr. Pleasants hoping thereby to regain
his health. In 1873, he went to Hannibal, Mo.,
where he followed his trade for a short time and
in June we find bim in St. Louis, where he re-
mained until December, 1881. Again coming to
Birmingham, he then became a partner in the
liardware store of whicti he is now senior proprie-
tor. His father was for some time a pari owner
but in 1882, the business was turned over to him-
self iind brother, Richard W, Tbe latter was born

in Birmingham, September 12, 1859, and was
reared and educated in the city schools. He entered
the business in February, 1878, and with the ex-
ception of about two months has always been found
behind the counter, strictl3' attending to the inter-
ests of the store. The firm of Pleasants Bros, is
composed of two of the leading business men of
Birmingham and the excellent trade which has
come to them is .justly merited. The senior partner
is also a director in and secretar}- and superinten-
dent of the Birmingham Butter and Cheese Manu-
facturing Company. He is a Republican in politics
but Richard is a Democrat. The former has been
honored with the office of Mayor of Birmingham,
to which he was four times elected, and the latter
has served as Councilman. Mrs. Pleasants is a
member of the Christian Church and Mr. Pleasants
holds membership with the Grand Army of the
Republic. With no rich relatives or influential
friends to aid him, he started out on foot from
Birmingham after the war, with a capital of -i'l.oO
in his pocket. Many discouragements and dilflcul-
ties were encountered by him but pressing forward
with indomitable energy and determined will he at
length reached the goal of success. It takes push
and thrift to succeed in this world, and when we
know under what obstacles Mr. Pleasants labored
we see that he must have had an abundance of
those elements essential to prosperity.

;RANK O. DANIELSON. a leading farmer
(q^ residing on section 21, Lockridge Town-
ship, and one of the representatives of that
worthy Swedish colony that emigrated to America
in 1845, making a settlement in Jefferson County,
Iowa, was born in Kisa County, Sweden, Septeinlier
13, 1839. His father, John Danielson, was born in
Hyklinge County, Sweden, August 25, 1799, and
his mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth
Anderson, was born in the same neighborhood
August 18, 1792. For many years he was foreman
of a large farm — Folingso, and later he operated a,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

4)5

mill. He was an iuBiiontial citizen wlio was ever
found on tlie side of riglit and stoixl liigli iu liis
coraimmity. After coming to lliis country lie de-
voted himself to agricultural pursuits. In tlieir
earlier years both he and his wife were members of
the Lutheran Church, but after coming to America
accepted the doctrines of the Methodist Church.
In politics, he was first a Whig and later a Republi-
can and in the social and business world he ranked
high. His death occurred on the 8th of Novembei-.
1884, and his wife [)assed away August 31, 1885.
In their family were five children — John A., who
enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, as
a private, rose to tlie rank of Captain and was
wounded at the battle of Shiloli from the effects of
which he died ; A. ^■ictordied at tlieageof twenty-
five years; Maria A. is the wife of Ward Larason, of
Fairfield; and Matilda S. is the wife of John
Stephenson who resides in Lockridge Township.
The fifth member of the family, Frank O. Daniel-
son, received very limited educational advantages
in his youth but by his own efforts has acquired a
good practical knowledge. He was quite young, a
lad of but six summers, when the family crossed
the Atlantic to seek a home in the New World. He
was therefore reared in Jefferson County and re-
mained at homeuntil 1859, when he went to Harri-
son where he earned his first money. While there,
the Civil War liroke out and taking u|) the cause of
the Union, on the 2nd of July, 1861, he enlisted in
Company B, Fourth Iowa Infantrv. He shared in
a number of important engagements including the
battles of Pea liidge, Arkansas Post, Vicksbnrg,
the two battles of Jackson, the engagement at
Lookout Mountain. Missionary Ridge, White Oak
Hillf, Resaca, luka, the capture of Atlanta and the
battles of Jonesboro, where he received his dis-
charge on September 4, 1 864, after a service of over
three years. At the battle of Cherokee Station, he
received a slight wound but was otherwise unin-
jured and returned to his home with the conscious-
ness of having faithfully performed his duty in
every instance at the hazard of his life.

On being mustered out of service, Mr. Danielson
returned to Jefferson County and on the '2nd of
September, 1866, was united in marriage with Mrs.
Matilda M. Peterson, daughter of Peter and Cath-

erine (Anderson) Cassel. She was born in Kisa
County, fiweden, January 27, 1834, and by her
former marriage had two children but lost one in
infancy. The surviving daughter.TIenrietta, is now
the wife of Rev. N. G. Nelson, of Seattle, Wash.
To Mr. and Mrs. Danielson was born a daughter —
Delia E. who died at the age of nine' years. The
parents are of the Methodist faith and in the church
to which they belong are active workers. Casting
his first Presidential vote for Douglas, Mr. Daniel-
son continued to afiiliato with the Democratic party
until during tlie war, when he changed his views
and has since been a stanch advocate of Republican
principles. He is now in comfortable circumstances,
owning a good farm of one hundred and ninety-
five .acres as the result of his own efforts. Practical
yet progressive, he is read}- to accept any tested im-
provement and about his home is found all the
accessories necessary to a'niodel farm of the nine-
teenth century. His value as^ a citizen is unques-
tioned and therefore he merits a representation in
this volume.

ACOB WALMER, deceased, is numbered
among the honored pioneers of Fairfield
Township, Jefferson County, where from the
time of his settlement in 1849, until his
death on the 5th of January. 1863, he labored
earnestly for the interests of his familj' and the
community, doing all in his power for the promo-
tion of public enterprises and the advancement of
the general welfare. Mr. Walmer was born in
Dauphin County, Pa., in 1797, and was a son of
George Walmer. He was reared to farm life and
in his native State in 1820, was united in marriage
with Miss .Sarah Shoue, a daughter of Henry Shoue.
She was born in Dauphin County, in 1807, and after
their marriage they removed to Waj'iie County,
Ohio, settling near Wooster, where they resided
from 1823 until their emigration in May, 18i9,
to Jefferson County, Iowa.

The union of Mr. and Jlrs. Walmer was blessed

416

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

witli :i family of tliirtecn cbildren, six' sons and
seven daughters and of tliat number seven grew to
mature 3'ears, namely: Mary, wife of Jacob Pon-
tius of Wayne County, Ohio; Eliza, who is the
widow of Abraham Wolf and a resident of Mon-
tana; Martha, wife of Enoch Gable, a resident of
Lancaster County, Neb.; Catherine,wife of William
Gift who is living in Wapello Count}', near Ot-
tumwa, Iowa; Daniel, who wedded Mary Duncan
and after her death married .Susanna C. Whitson,
is a representative farmer of Fairfield Township;
.Joseph married Lizzie Patterson and is living in
Cedar Township; Anthony Wayne, who was born
in Iowa, mapied Jennie Camlin and is living in
Ilolridge, Neb.

During bis residence in Jefferson County, Mr.
Walmer made farming his occupation and at the
time of his death owned three hundred and thirteen
acres of good land. His wife long survived him
and died on November 5, 188G. Both were faith-
ful members of the Lutheran Church and were
earnest workers in the Master's vineyard, doing all
in their power to promote the cause of Christianity
on earth. Mr. Walmer in 1860 cast his ballot for
President Lincoln and continued a supporter of
lliat party until his death. He was industrious and
energetic, an honorable and upright man and all
who knew him respected him for his many excel-
lencies of character.

is^

(((

^OIIN G. PETERSON, one of the extensive
landowners and successful farmers of Van
Buren County, resides on section 34, Jack-
son Townshii). With only one hundred and
twenty acres of raw land with which to begin
life, he has added to his capital, and just as the
resnlt of his thrift and enterprise seven hundred
and sixty acres of arable land now pay tribute to
his care and cultivation.

The Peterson family is of Holland extraction
and was founded in America during Colonial <lays
b}' the great-grandfather of our subject, who set-
tled in New Jersey. He was one of the first to

cross the Blue Ridge Mountains and made a loca-
tion at Cincinnati, Ohio, when that city was com-
posed of only a few log huts. The father of our
subject, Ralph Peterson, was born in Adams County,
Ohio, in 1808, and after attaining to mature years,
in 1829, wedded Miss Mary Groves, who was left
an orphan during her infancy. They continued to
reside in the Buckeye State until 1 835, when they
became residents of Indiana, and in 1839 they lo-
cated in Van Buren County, Iowa, where Mr.
Peterson purchased one hundred and sixty acres of
raw land. At the time of his death he was the
owner of a fine farm of two hundred and twenty
acres, and to all of his children he had given either
money or la^nd in order to furnish them with a
good start in life. His death occurred in 1888, at
the age of nearly eighty years, and his wife died
in 1885. They were the parents of twelve chil-
dren, three of whom died in infancy and two
daughters in mature life. The rest of those who
grew to mature years are still living, but the fam-
ily is now widely scattered. Five brothers — Jacob
R , William IL, George A., Ralph B. and Edward
A. are living in Sprink County, S. D., near North-
ville.

John G. Peterson was born May 31, 1831, and
is a representative of one of the pioneer families
of Van Buren County. The date of their ar-
rival was October 12, 1839, and they settled upon
a farm four miles south of Keosauqua, where our
subject was reared to manhood. On attaining to
mature years he left the parental roof and started
out in life for himself, his capital, as before stated,
being one hundred and twenty acres of raw prairie
land. With characteristic energy he improved
this tract, transforming it into rich and fertile
fields, and as his financial resources increased he
made other judicious purchases from time to time,
until his possessions now aggregate seven hundred
and sixty acres. In addition to the cultivation of
his farm, he is engaged in feeding cattle for the
market, which branch of industry also yields him
a good income. Jlr. Peterson is a sagacious and
far-sighted business man, and the success whii'h
has attended his efforts is the result of his own
thrift, perseverance and good management, sup-
plemented by correct business principles.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

417

In 1 852~ Mr. Peterson was united in marriage
with Mary Jane Crealh, but after a sluj.rt wedded
life of five years she was called to her final rest,
dying in 1857. He was again married, in 1859, to
Margaret E. Steraple, who was born in 1846. One
child graces their union — Jennie, wife of Frank P.
Blanchard. and has two children, Houlah and John
G. In politics Mr. Peterson is a Republican and
has served as Assessor but has never songht iniblic
office, preferring to devote his lime and attention
to his business interests, in which lie has certainly
met with excellent success. Without displaying
egotism, he may justly be proud of his business
career.

AMES BESWICK, Jr., is a representative
farmer of Union Townshij), Van Buren
County, residing on section 26. For forty
years he has been identified witli the growth
and progress of this community and has borne no
inconsideralile part in the advancement of its
worthy enterprises. He is now one of the heaviest
tax payers in the township, bnt no complaint is
heard from him as he feels it his duty to aid in the
promotion of the interests of the county. His
carl}' life however, was not passed amid prosperous
surroundings. He was born on a farm in AVash-
ington Count}', Ohio, March 13, 1832, was reared
to munliood under the parental roof and in the old
log schoiilhouse common at that da}' familiarized
liimself with the English branches. He was a
young man of eighteen years, when in 1850, the
family came to Van Buren County, Iowa. On
attaining his majority he hired out to liis father
for whom he had hitlierto worked without compen-
sation, as a dutiful son, repaying in a measure the
ctare and attention which he had received in his
youth. Knowing that he would wish to begin
to make something for himself, his father then
offered him -SlOO per year and his clothes. The
offer was acce|)tcd and for some time he aided
3n the operation of the home farm.

On the 21st of October, 1858, Mr. Beswick was

joined in wedlock with Mary E. Whittlesey, a
native of Ohio, born August 18, 1840. They be-
came parents of four children — Agnes V., now
the wife of C. R. Johnson ; Alice M., .wife of
Stephen Johnson ; Wilson S. who died at the age
of sixteen years ; and Lena R., wife of Julius
Nixon. The mother of these children died on
tlie 4lh of September, 1868, and November 25,
1 869. -Mr. Beswick led to the marriage altar
Miss Viola Racer, who was born in Washington
County, Oliio, September 6. 1849, and at the
age of eighteen years came to Van Buren County.
Two children grace their union — W. Lloyd and
Worthy D. who are still with their parents.

Mr. Beswick and his wife are members of the
Baptist Church, and in the social world are held
in high regard. The Besvvick household is noted
for its hospitality and the members of the family
have many friends. The husband and father has
prospered in his business life, possessing the ability,
energy and thrift which insures success. His
father gave to him eighty acres of raw prairie
land and in payment for a year's labors twenty
acres of timber. This he placed under develop-
ment but after a time sold out and removed to
W.ayne County, Iowa, where he entered one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land which he afterwards
traded for eighty acres in Cedar Township, Van
Buren County. In 1863, he made purchase of his
present farm, a finely improved and fertile tract of
two hundred acres. He has bought and sold a
consiilerable amount of land at various intervals,
his possessions now aggregating six hundred and
eighty-eight acres. His home is one of the finest
residences in the community and is surrounded by
four good barns, which in turn lie in the midst of
broad and well cultivated fields. He also engages
quite extensively in raising fine stock and has re-
ceived many premiums on the same at the county
fairs. He also took a premium on a mule at the
first State Fair with Dr. J. N. Norris as judge. For
eight years he served as trustee of the Van Buren
County Fair Association, and during the whole
time in which the county has held these annual ex-
hibitions ''lie has failed to attend only two. He
cast his first Presidential vote for Buchanan and
has since supported the Democratic i)arty. He

418

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

takes oonsiilerable interest in political affairs, but
lias never sought public preferment for liimself.
jNIr. BeswicI? is an enterprising, progressive citizen
who has won the goofl will and respect of his
neighbors and acquaintances.

.-^»?»»-;»53»-5^^?«5«f-.«i<^.

I^A AMUEL CARR, resides on section 22, Polk
^i;^^ Township, .Tefferson Counts'. He is one
\MDJJ °^ '■''^ ^^'''^' survivors among the earl3- set-
— tiers of 1840, one of the few left to tell
the stor}^ of pioneer life with its hardships and
trials, its excitements and its pleasures. In a half
century great changes have taken i)laee, leaving
few of the old landmarks of that early day and tlie
wonderful transformation has brought from an un-
inhabited wilderness a county peopled with an in-
telligent and enterprising class of citizens who are
supplied with all the comforts ,'ind conveniences
known to civilized life. In the pioneer times one
had to go to Burlington or Keokuk to market and
to the Des Moines River to mill. The roads were
often almost impassable, the farm machinery wsis
crude, traveling was done by stage or in private
conveyances, and log cabins were the homes of the
settlers, but now we have the latest improved agri-
cultural implements, lines of railroad cross and
recross the county and the pioneer homes have
long since given i)lace to commodious and tasty
farm residences and elegant city mansions. A vast
outlay of time and labor has been expended to
bring about this result, the greater part of which
has been borne by the pioneers, among whom is
Samuel Carr. In all works for the upbuilding of
the county's interests, he has faithfully performed
his share and deserves no little credit for the same.
Mr. Carr is a native of Ohio and the fourth in a
family of nine' children. He was born in Fayette
Count}', in 1825, his parents being Jahu and Sarah
(Foltz) Csrr, who were born in A'irginia. Their
removal to Jefferson County occurred in 1840 and
Fuirfleld Township was chosen as a favorable loca-
tion, but after four years they removed to Polk

Township. In 1849, they went to Missouri, but
after three years. returned to Fulton Count}-, Ind.,
where he engaged in farming until 1870, in which
year we again And him in Jefferson County. He
afterward made a visit to Oregon, and died there
in 1876. His wife had long since passed away, her
death having occurred in Ohio, in 1838, at an early-
age. Of their family, Reubi^n died in Indiana, in
1885, leaving a wife and children; Philip is married
and resides in Ohio; John died in Indiana; Samuel
is the next j'ounger; Mary died in Indiana in 1880;
and Elizabeth is now Mrs. Mitchell, of Davenport,
Iowa; James is married and resides in Indiana;
Jahu died in this county in 1860 ; and Sarah is now
Mrs. Ornduff of Oregon.

Our subject passed his early bojhood davs in his
native State, being in his fifteenth }'ear when ho
accompanied his parents on their emigration to the
Territory of Iowa. He assisted in opening up and
clearing the farm and shared in the hardships and
disadvantages incident to life on the frontier. He
began life for himself as a farm laborer and con-
tinued working by the month until twenty-five
years of age. when in 1850, he was unit d in mar-
riage with Miss Martha Smales, a native • 'f Illinois.
Her father, John Smales, was born in Vir ;inia, but
lier mother. Mrs. .Sarah Smales, was ben in Illi-
nois, where her death also occurred. The father
afterwards came to Iowa and died in Wapello
Count}', in 1875. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Carr were
born seven children and of the five living, William
is the eldest; Harvey is married and resides in Polk
Township; .Sarah is now Mrs. Downey of Black
Hawk Township; Nellie and John are still at home.

Mr. Carr began operations for himself on rented
land in Locust Grove Township, but after five
years he liad saved a sufficient sum to make an
investment and in 1861, purchased sixty-one acres,
forty of which had been broken. He improved it
and placed it under a high state of cultivation but
in 1875 sold and purchased an improved farm of
one hundred and forty acres, his present home.
Among other improvements which he has made is
a comfortable residem-e which he erected at a cost
of $1400. He has also extended the boundaries
of his farm until now he reaps the harvest from
one hundred and eighty acres, which being highly

jt»s?-r

'OMS

9.
0

BENJAMIN KETCHAM.

MRS. KETCHAM.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

423

cultivated yield a ready return. He also raises a
good grade of stock and altogether his career has
been a prosiierous one. In political sentiment, he
is a Republican and has served as a member of the
School Board. Frugality and industry have charac-
terized his life work and the caiiital with which he
embarked in business was health and energy. He
is now a leading farmer as well as a respected citi-
zen and honored pioneer of .lefferson County.

j#>L!^c^^.

^TT)^'^^'^''^^^^' ketch am, who resides on sec-
l^^\ tion 1, Bonaparte Township, is one of the
l'/!^") I extensive landowners and prominent farm-
^"ssi^ ers of Xnn Buren County, and is also con-
nected with the banking interests of Bonaparte as
a Director of the Farmers' & Traders' Bank. As
he is widely known, his sketch will be of interest to
many of our readers. Allegheny County, Pa., was
the place of his birth, and on the 19th of December,
18"29, he first opened his eyes to the light of day.
His parents weie Joel and Elizabeth Ketcham, both
natives of Allegheny County, Pa. Their marriage
was celebrated in Allegheny County, Pa., and unto
them were born nine children, of whom our subject
is the eldest: Elizabeth became the wife of William
Peterson, and after his death, which occurred in
Pennsylvania, she came to Fairfield, Iowa, where
her last days were spent; John, who married Belle
Dunnington. is living in Macon Count}', Mo. ; Will-
iam who wedded Nancy Hammond, is engaged in
fruit growing in Orange Count}', Fla. ; Margaret
makes lierhome in Fairfield; Belle died some 3'ears
ago; Mattie and Frank died in Pennsylvania, and
Sadie married Dr. Dunnnington and died in Penn-
sjivania. The father of this family was a man of
intelligence, whose mental capacities were above the
ordinary, and in the community where he made his
home was a prominent and influential citizen.
Throughout his entire life he supported the Demo-
cratic party and both he and his wife were mem-
bers of the Presbyterian Church and faithful
workers in the cause. His deatli occurred in Alle-

gheny County, Pa., in 1867, but his wife long sur-
vived him, dying at the home of her son in Florida
in 1882.

Benjcimin Ketcham in his youth was liljerr.lly
educated, his primary course of study being supple-
mented by scholastic training in the academy of
Monongahela City. The days of his boyhood and
youth were passed under the parental roof, and not
until the age of twenty-four did he leave home to
begin life's battle for himself. It was inl855, when,
attracted by the West with its brilliant prospects
and splendid advantages afforded young men, he
turned his face to the setting sun. He traveled as
far as Iowa but felt on reaching the Hawkeye State
that he need continue his journey no further, for
here he believed one could make a comfortable home
and secure a livelihood if he would but work. In
1856, Mr. Ketcham purchased the farm upon which
he now resides, a two hundred and forty-acre tract
of land in Bonaparte Township, whose well-tilled
fields and many improvements plainly indicate the
thrift aad enterprise of the owner. As the years
have passed, he has made other purchases until his
landed possessions now aggregate one thousand
acres, eighty-seven of which are in Jefferson County
while seven acres of that amount lie within the cor-
poration limitsof the city of Fairfield. Mr. Ketcham
may truly be called a self-made man, for it is almost
entirely by his own efforts that he has acquired
the property which now ranks liim among the
wealthy citizens and successful business men of the
count}'. C)n his farm may be found a good resi-
dence, barns and outbuildings, the latest improved
machinery and good grades of stock. During the
war he enlisted m the Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, and
was in camp at Keokuk two weeks, l)ut on final
examination was rejected on account of a lame
ankle.

October 27, 18G3, Mr. Ketcham was united in
marriage with Miss Mary Lightfoot, a native of
JNIanchester, England, born October 25, 1843, and
a daughter of John Lightfoot, who came to St.
Louis in 1845 and to Iowa in 1847. Six children
grace their union and they also lost one, Alice, who
died at the age of eight years, and her remains lie
buried in the cemetery at Sharon Church. Mi'inie
is the wife of Murray Taylor, of liig Aluund, Iowa;

424

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Joel is at liome; Lizzie is the wife of William B.
Seeley, of Lee County; George, Frank and Clay
are still with their parents. The children have all
heen provided with good educational advantages,
most of them having attended school in Parsons
College. The eldest son was for three 3'ears a stu-
dent in Parsons College, of Fairfield.

Mr. Ketchara supports the Democratic party, and
like all good citizens feels an interest in public af-
fairs but has never sought the honors or emolu-
ments of public office, preferring to devote his time
and attention to his business. He, however, served
as 'I'rustee and Justice of the Peace at the solicita-
tion of his friends. In connection with his other
business interests he is a stockholder and Director
in the Farmers & Traders' Bank of Bonaparte. Both
he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian
Ciuuch, at Sharon, where the family worshiiis.
Thirty-flve years have passed since Mr. Ketcham
came to the county, years of prosperit3' and hap-
piness to him, who by energy and labor won wealth
and by an upright life secured many warm friends.

i'^li^l

E. VINCENT is one of the leading business
men of Van Buren Count3r and one of its
largest landowners. He is now engaged in
general merchandising in Lebanon and is
the owner of a similar establishment in
Cantril. Being widely known throughout the-
community, his sketch will be of interest to
many of our readers and we are therefore pleased
to represent him in this work. He was born on
the 13th of March, 1830, in West Virginia, gracing
the union of Rice W. and Elizabeth (Meeks)
Vincent. On the paternal side the family is of
English origin, but the Meeks are of Scotch-Irish
extraction. The paternal grandfather o our sub-
ject, John Vincent, was a native of Delaware and
served in the Revolutionary War. He lived to
the advanced age of ninety-six years and his wife,
whose maiden name was Sarah Rice and who was
a native of Virginia, died at a remarkable age of

also

one hundred and one years. The parents of our sub •
ject were both born in the Old Dominion and Mr.
Vincent followed farming in the pursuit of fortune.
He died in 1852 and his wife iiassed away in 1868.
Their family numbered twelve children. John J.,
the eldest, who was a native of West Virginia, en-
listed in the Union Army during the late war, was
captured and died in Anderson ville prison in 1864;
Susan died in Virginia; Thomas W. died in West
"\'irginia, in 1889; Mamie died in Virginia; and
Morgan C, in Indiana; Amos B. is engaged in
farming in Pennyslvania; S. E. of this sketch is
the next j^ounger; Sarah is now ileceased ; Jefferson

C. is married and resides in Missouri; William H.
is married and makes his home in Chillicothe, Mo.,

D. Frank is married and resides in California; and
Lucy W. is now Mrs. Van Fleet of Jackson Town-
ship, Van Buren County.

The first twentj'-five years of his life S. E.
Vincent spent in the State of his nativit}' but in
1855, he resolved to act upon Horace Greeley's ad-
vice and go West. He made a location in Hancock
County, 111., where he engaged in farming for
about a year, when he removed to Missouri, where
he spent five years engaged in the same pursuit.
It was a fortunate day for him when he decided to
remove to Van Buren County. In 1861, he located
in Jackson Township and since that his efforts have
been attended with marked success. For about
nine years he engaged in farming and stock raising.
He purchased one hundred anfi eighty acres of land
and from time to time made additional purchases,
until he is now the owner of seven hundred acres
under a good state of cultivation, together with
some landed property in Virginia. He still super-
intends the management of his farm which pays to
him a golden tribute for his care and cultivation
and stock raising is also an important branch of
his business, he shipping from seventy-five to a
hundred head of cattle per year.

Prior to his emigration from his native State,
Mr. Vincent was united in marriage with Miss Eliz-
abeth Dameron, the wedding taking place in 1850.
The lady was born in that State March 12, 1831.
Their family numbered the following children:
Ellen Nora, now deceased; ^Irs. Jane Davis; Cor-
delia who died in California; Mrs. Amanda R.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

425

Frazee of Van Bnren Township, Van Buren Coun-
ty; Mrs. Kmai.a Work of Denvor, Coi; W. IJ. who
is iiiarrit'd and is engaged in merchandising in
Cantril; Mrs. Mary Ten Kyck of Lebanon; Ida C,
Zepha, .lames F. and Jolm J. wlio died in eliild-
liood. The mother of lliis family passed to her
last, rest on the 30th of .lanuary, 189U, after a long
married life of forty years.

Mr. A'ineent left liis farm in 1870, and removed
to Lebanon, where ho has since resided. lie erected
a good .store building. put in a large stock of general
merchandise and has since done a good business in
that line. As he keeps only good grades of mer-
chandise which he sells at fair prices and as in ail
his dealings he is upright and honorable, cour-
teous to all, he has won a liberal patronage which
lie richly deserves. His store atCanlril is also in
a prosperous condition. The business interests of
Mr. A'incent are extensive, 3-et he has found time
to devote to public duties. For seventeen years
he served .as Postmaster of Lebanon, has filled the
office of Trustee in both Chequest and Jackson
Townships for several years each and is now Town-
ship Treasurer. lie takes considerable interest in
political affairs, and is a stanch advocate of ths
Democracy. He is a sagacious and far-sighted
business man who has been blessed with the pros-
perity which comes to those of energetic and in-
dustrious habits.

\flAMES LEFFLER follows farming as a
means of livelihood, carrying on operations
in that line on section 18,Harrisburg Town,
ship. He was born in Van Buren Count}'
on August 20, 1845, and is a son of Mansuet an<i
Irene (Cavin) Leffler. His father, a native of
Baden. Germany, was born in 1803, grew to nian-
liood ill that country and served for six years in
the German Army. With a desire to benefit his
financial condition he .~ailtd for America in 1833,
and four years later, ir. 1837, became a resident of

what is now "S^au Buren County, but at that time
was a part of the Territory of Michigan. Little
indeed is known concerning the early history of
this settlement that is not familiar to Mr. Leffler,
who is still residing in the community at the ad-
vanced age of eighty-seven years. The death of
his wife occurred in 1880. She was a native of
Tennessee and bj' her marriage became the mother
of eleven children.

James was the fifth in order of birth in that
family-. He was reared to manhofKl in the countj'
of his nativitj' and like a dutiful son remained at
home assisting his father in the labors of the farm
until twent3--two years of age, when he left the
parental roof and started out in life for himself
beginning operations as a farmer on rented land.
As success in this life is generally due to deter-
mined effort, supplemented by industry and business
ability, little ftars were entertained concerning his
future and his course has justified the expectation
of his friends. As quickly as possible he gathered
together the funds necessary for securing a farm
of his own and at length procured his i)resent
home, settling down to steady work. A lich and
well cultivated tract of land of one hundred
and eighty -eight and three-fourths acres now jjays
triljute to his care and cultivation, many good
improvements, add ornament and value to the
place and the best grades of farm stock are there
seen. For a number of years he has also success-
fully engaged in practice as a veterinary surgeon.

In 1871, Mr. Leffler was united in marriage with
Miss Mary A. Hatch of Van Buren County,
daughter of William and Margaret (Boner) ILatch.
Two children grace their union, a son aj.d daughter
— Mattie and Omar L.

ISIr. Leffler is a charter member of Des Moines
Valley Lodge, No. 138, I. 0. O. F. and was the
first secretary of the organization. He keeps him-
self well informed on .-dl matters of general inter-
est, is a worthy citizen and an active local politi-
cian, supporting the Democratic paity. He has
now served acceptably as Clerk of the township for
about seven \'ears,Trustee three years. Assessor one
year and has been a delegate to liotli county and
Stale conventions. Tlie name of Leffler is insepar-
ably connected with the history of \'aii Buien

426

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

County. The honored father of our subject as
one of its pioneers, and Jaifies, as one of its worthy
citizens have borne tlieir share in the upluiilding
of tlie county, have aided in its proi^ress and have
been witnesses of its wonderful development and
transformation. Tliey shared in the iiardships and
trials of pioneer life, their home was in tliis coni-
muuity when the Indians were more numerous
than the white settlers, while wild animals were
yet seen and when wild game of all kinds was to
be found in aliundance. It was no easy task to
give up the comforts and luxuries of the East to
make homes in a wild and unbroken western coun-
try and tlie greatest gratitude should be rendered
unto the noble men and women who bore such
sacrifices and laid tlie foundation for tlie prosperity
and advancement which now characterize the
county.

ellRISTOPHER KERR, deceased, an honored
pioneer and farmer of Van Buren County,
whose family is still living on section 10,
Union Townsliip, was born in County Armagh, Ire-
land, on the 3d of March, 1817. He learned tlie
trade of a weaver in his native Ian 1 and acquired
his education in its public schools. When a j-oung
man of twenty-three years, with a hope of better-
ing his Qnancial condition in the New World, he
bade good-by to home, friends and the Emerald
Isle, and alone started for America. On the
voyage he had an attack of small jiox, but had
about recovered his healtli on reaching this coun-
try. He made his 6rst location in Pennsylvania,
where he remained until he got monej' enough to
travel, when he went to Canada. A short time
aftervvard, however, we find him in Ohio, where the
succeeding three years of his life were passed. It
was in 1844 that he came to the Territory of Iowa
with the intention of making his future home on
ifs broad prairies and settled in Van Buren County.
That was an important day for bolli the county
and himself, as he prospered here, while the com-

munity gained a valued citizen. After entering
forty acres of land, he embarked in merchandising
in Winchester, which he continued for some six
years, or until 1850, when, attracted by the gold
discoveries in California, he crossed the plains with
an ox-team. At the end of a year he returned
with $1,600 in his pocket, which furnished a fair
start. Removing to his farm, he purchased an ad-
ditional eighty acres, and then began the develop-
ment of his land, which in course of time jielded
al)undant harvests as the reward for the labors ex-
pended thereon.

On the 23d of December, 18.52, Mr. Kerr was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah Moxley, who
died in December, 185;(, leaving four children, but
only one of the number is now living — Melissa,
wife of Charlie Sherrod, of Farmington. On the
7th of March, ISfil, Mr. Kerr was a second time
married, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary
Addy, who still survives him. She was born in
County Cavan, Ireland, January 12, 1835, and is
a daughter of .Tames and Margaret (Foster) Addy.
Eight children were born unto them, six of whom
are living — James V., born January 4, 1862, is at
home; Maggie L., born December 28, 1803, is de-
ceased; Jessie G., born October 20, 1865, is the
wife of William Prather, of Dakota; Leila Reins
Ramsdel, born June 1, 1867, is deceased; George
W., born August 20, 1869; Ilulda Emma, July
9, 1872; Aaron Stanley, March 12, 1875; and
Amelia E., May 27, 1877, are at home. The chil-
dren were provided with good educational advan-
tages, and Leila and George were students at the
Normal School, at Shenandoah.

Mr. Kerr died at his home, in Union Townshi|),
July 19, 1880, respected by all who knew him. At
the time of his death he owned four hundred and
sixty acres of land in ^'an Buren County and three
hundred and tvventjr acres in Missouri, which left
his family in comfortable circumstances. With a
capital of $50 he began life in tliis county, but
good management, industry and pluck overcame
the disadvantages which l.ay in his path, and he
at length became a well-to-do citizen. In propor-
tion as he was prosperous, his generosity increased.
He was charitable and benevolent, ever ready to
extend a helping hand to those less fortunate than

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

427

himself, and in him tiie poor and needy found a
true friend. He also gave liberally for the sup-
port of those enterprises calculated to benefit the
community or upbuild town and county. In liis
early life he was a supporter of Democratic prin-
ciples, but when the question of slavery became an
issue he joined liie new Republican party formed
to prevent its further extension, and became an in
fluenlial member of local political circles.

Mis. Kerr still survives her husband and is liv-
ing on the ohl home farm in ["nion Townshi|),
wliere she has erected one of the finest residences
in the county. Her management of the business
interests reflects credit upon herself. She is a
faithful member of the Methodist Ciuirch. of Wiu-
chestfr, and the familj' is well and favorably known
throuahout the neighborhood.

/_, ON. WILLIAM HOPKIRK, a pioneer of
Jefferson County now i-esiding on sectiijn
34, Lockridge Township, has identified
"1^ himself with the best interests of the com-
munity in various ways, especially in the support
of and influence lent for the advancement of such
enterprises as are calculated to benefit the com-
munit}'. As a farmer he has also aided in the de-
velopment of the county, having suci ceded in
placing many acres of Iowa's fertile prairie land
under cultivation.

He was born in Galtonside, Roxburyshire, Scot-
land, May 9, 1811, his parents being William and
Isabel (Holmes) Hopkirk. His father and grand-
father were shoemakers by trade and followed that
business throughout their entire lives. His mother's
family belonged to one of the old clans of Scot-
land. Both parents, in accordance with the teach-
ings of their ancestors, became members of the
Presbyterian Church. In their famil}' were eight
children, seven sons and one daughter, and five of
the number became residents of this country. The
only daughter, Elizabeth, was drowned in a storm
at sea while returning to her childhood home;

David, after some years residence in America re-
turned to Scotland, where he spent his last days;
John died in Jeffeison County, and Walter is a
resident of Colorado.

The fifth member of the family to cross the Ininy
deep was William Hopkirk, the honored pioneer of
Jefferson County, whose circle of friends will be
glad to receive the sketch of his life here recorded.
He received but limited educational advantages in
his youth but by personal application he has be-
come a well informed man on all general topics and
has acquainted himself with both ancient and
modern histor^y. When a lad of thirteen years he
commenced work at his trade, that of manufacturer
and colorer of cloth, serving an ajjprenticeship of
five years, after which he worked some three years
for wages. On March 3, 18.34, he married Jane
Redpath, who was born August 10, 1813, in Kox-
bur^'shire, Scotland, near the childhood home of
our subject. Sir Walter Scott was also a resident
of the neighborhood and attended the same church.
Soon after their marriage, Mr. Hojikirk and his
bride sailed for New York, reaching that city after
thirty days. Thence he made his wa}' to Roches-
ter, but as he could not obtain work at his trade in
that place, he engaged in quarrying until an oppor-
tunit}' offered for labors in his chosen line of busi-
ness. Having worked in Rochester until 1837, he
then removed to within six miles of jMt. Pleasant.
Ohio, and later became a resident of Wellsburg.
W. Va.

The spring of 1842 witnessed the arrival of Mr.
Hopkirk in Jefferson County, Iowa, where he
entered one hundred and sixty acres of land on Sec-
tion 34, Lockridge Township. Almost half a cen-
tury has since passed but that farm continues to be
his home. There he has met with some reverses
and failures, but on the whole his life has been one
of prosperity and almost uninterrupted success. By
industry, perseverance and good management, he
was enabled to extend his acreage until be was the
possessor of five hundred and sixty acres, but the
greater part of this he has since disposed of, own-
ing now some one hundred and ninety acres. Work
has been the motto of his life and to it he has faith-
fully adhered, yet in the intervals of business labor
he has accomplished not a little for the advance-

428

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ment of public interests. Tlie fiuise of education
lias ever found in bim a true friend and during the
lliirteen years lie seived as Secretary of his school
district he did not a little toward bettering the
grade of schools and in procuring eflicient teach-
ers. He served as Trustee of his township for
several 3'ears, for two terms was a member of the
Count3' Board of Supervisors and from 1870 until
1876, represented his district in the General As-
sembly of Iowa, being elected to the position for
three consecutive terms. While a member of the
House, lie served on the railroad committee and
gained the ill-will of all railroad incorporators by
his introduction of the Hopkirk Bill, providing
that railroad property should be taxed the same as
other property. His re-election to the same posi-
tion indicated that he served his constituency faith-
full3' and well. Hp cast his tirst Presidential vote
for John C. Fremont in ) 8,56, and since has been a
stalwart supporter of Republican principles.

The death of Mrs. Hopkirk, who was a faithful
member of the Presbyterian Church, occurred
February 12, 1869. She was the mother of eleven
children, five sons and six daughters — Elizabeth,
wife of Robert Stephenson, a resident of Fairfield;
Isabel, wife of William Bankhead of California;
William who died in the service of his country dur-
ing tlie late war; Anna, wife of Robert Stamm,
whose home is in Osceola Countj-, Iowa; Mary U.,
widow of David L Brown ;Robert who was wounded
during Sturges' defeat and died from the wound in
Memphis. Tenn.; Lillie, wife of Benjamin Hanson,
a resident farmer of Lockridge Township; James,
an extensive contractor and builder, of .Seattle,
Wash.; Jane, who died at the age of twenty-one
j'cars; Alexander, mentioned below, and Walter,
who died at the age of one and a half years.

Alexander resides upon and has charge of the
old homestead, managing almost the entire busi-
ness connected with it. He was born under the
sheltering roof of the old home October 25. 1853,
and there was reared to manhood. Having ac-
quired a good Eluglish education, he then engaged
in teaching for some eight years, when he relieved
his father who has now attained an advanced age.
of the care and snperintendeney of the farming in-
terests. On the 26th of April, 1883, he married

Miss Addic L. Ripley, who was born in Waldo
County, Me., and came to Iowa, in 1879. One
child graces their union, a daughter, Nellie.

Like his wife, Mr. Hopkirk is a faithful member
of the Presbyterian Church and also belongs to the
Old Settlers' Society. His public and private life
are alike above reproach ; his course has been an
honorable one; his friends are many ; he has made
few enemies and in the conscientious discharge of
ever}- duty devolving upon him he has won well
merited praise and honor.

#^|<^^

aT^EWTON L. CALHOUNis.a representative
I jj of one of the |)ioncer families whose history'
[11, .^, is inseparably connected with that of Van
Buren County. Throughout Southeastern Iowa the
name is kpown as representing men of sterling
worth, engaged in agricultural pursuits, who in
many ways have also labored for the best interests
of the community and for the welfare of town,
county and State. His^ honored parents, Newton
and Esther (Saunders) Calhoun, are mentioned
more fully. in the^ sketch of his brother Vurnum.
His birth occurred on the homestead farm July 31.
1840, succeeding the arrival of the family in the
Territory of Iowa. He acquired his education in
the Birmingham schools, and having attained his
majority on the last day of July, 1861, he enlisted
the following month in Company H, Third Iowa
Cavalry, for three year's service in the War of the
Rebellion. The first two years his regiment spent
in Missoui'i, where the troops were engaged in dis-
persing rebels, capturing supplies, etc. Proceed-
ing southward they afterwards participated in the
capture of Little Rock, Ark. Mr. Calhoun did not
veteranize at the close of his term of service but
remained in that city until sent to Keokuk, where
he received his discharge September 19, 1864.
During the last year and a half of his service he
held the office of Commissary Sergeant.

Returning to Birmingham, Mr. Calhoun spent
the following winter in school and then devoted

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

429

himself to the occupation of farming, by wliicli lie
lias since not only gained alivelilKnirt lull wliicli has
proved to him the moans of securing a handsome
competence. On the 1st of March. 186G, lie was
united in marriage with Margaret E. Fairer, a na-
tive of Ohio, born April 30, 1844. Three children
graced their union — Orange S., who is now a far-
mer of Van Buren County; M. Nellie, wife of
Charles S. Walker, son of JNIaj. Walker; and Joseiih
F. Mr. Calhoun was called upon to mourn tlie
loss of his wife, who died on the 2(!th of October,
18.S(>. She was a faithful member of the Presby-
terian Church and was beloved by all for her many
excellencies of character. On the 14th of Novem-
ber, 1889, he was again married, his second union
being with Eliza J. Torrence, a native of Lick
Creek Township. She also is a member of the
Presbyterian Church and a lady of culture.

Forty-four years have passed in which Mr.
Calhoun has known no other home than the farm
upon which he yet resides. It is endeared to him
by many associations of his bo3'liood, his j'outli
and of mature ycprs. Mere his children were born
and here he has become a |irosperovis citizen as the
result of his industrious and thrift^' efforts. So-
cially, he Is a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, and in political sentiment supports the
Republican party, by which he was several terms
elected Assessor of his Township. He is engaged
in farming on an extensive scale, also is one of the
large stock-raisers of the county and is the oldest
native citizen of his township.

'• ' °^

f^.^ ON. JAMES WILLIAM RICE, a prominent
\j and influential citizen of Farmington, is
iv^ well known all over Van Buren County and
(j^ is deserving of a representation in this vol-
ume where are recorded the lives of the pioneers
and leading citizens of the county. A native of
Massachusetts, he was born in Walthara, June II,
1821. He traces his ancestry back to 1620, when
the founder of the family in America, one of the

Pilgrim fathers, landed from the "Mayflower" at
Plymouth Rock. His father, James Rice, was born
in 17'JG and weddeil Doll^^ L. Carr, who was four
years his junior and was also a descendant of New
England ancestry. Unto them was born a family
of four children, one son and three daughters,
namely: Dolly, who became the wife of Thomas
Drummond, emigrated westward in 1839, settling
in Fairfield, but died in Danville, III.; Jane, mar-
ried Tliomas Crim and they became residents of
Van Buren County but her last days were spent in
Keokuk; Hannah L.. was the wife of Jonathan
Bedell, of Denver, Col.; and James W., completes
the family, of which he was the eldest. The father
died in Massachusetts in 1834, after which Mrs.
Rice became the wife of Abner Kneeland, a noted
infidel and the founder of the Boston Investigation
Society — a man who gained a world-wide reputa-
tion on account of the position which he took re-
garding religious subjects. Three children were
born of this marriage — Albert, a ranchman of Col-
orado died in 1885; Susan, wife of Thomas B.
Boler, of Farmington ; Maria, wife of George I).
Johnson of Rosedale, Kan., Mr. Kneeland died in
Van Buren County in 1844, and the death of his
wife occurred in Farmington in 1872.

James William Rice acquired bis education in the
academy of Concord, Mass. and the High School of
Boston. When a lad of fourteen years he was
bound out to the painter's trade in the latter city
and after the expiration of his term of apprentice-
ship followed that business for a number of years.
In 1839, he accompanied iiis parents to the West,
the family locating on a farm near F\armington,
whtre he continued to make his home until 1875,
since which time he has lived in the town.

On the 1st of January, 1848, Mr. Rice was
united in marriage with Sarah A. Smith, daughter
of Silas and Sarah W. (Wilder) Smith. She was
also a niece of Marshall Wilder. By their union
were born three children, j'et living, namely: Mrs.
Ella L. Whitten; Nellie, wife of L. L. Therme, the
present Postmaster of Farmington; and Mary A.,
at home.

In early life Mr. Rice was a Democratic Aboli-
tionist, that is he entertained the principles of
Democracy and was also strongly opposed to the

i30

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

instilntion of slavery. Ou State and National
qiiostions lie 3-et supports the Democracy, but at lo-
cnl elections votes for the man and nol- tlie party.
Tlie fellow citizens of Mr. Rice appreciating liis
wortli and ability have frequently called upon him
to serve in public positions. For six years he held
the office of Mayor of Farniington,was Town Clerk
for three j'ears, Justice of the Peace for fourteen
years and Notai3' Public for six years. The duties
of these offices he has ever discharged in a prompt
and faithful manner, thus winning the respect of
even his political enemies. In his business he has
pros[iered and by an upright life he has won the re-
spect of both young and old, rich and poor. He
has ever been a friend to education and to all
moral and social interests and has done what he
could for the a<lvanceinent and upbuilding of the
county.

W UKAS ZIIILMAN has been prominently

connected with ihe business interests of

t) Jefferson County for a number of 3' ears,

and now ranks among its progressive farmers, de-
vcitiiig his time and attention to the cultivation of
a good farm, situated on section 13, Lockridge
Tovvn.sliip. Ilis father, who was a native of Lu-
zerne, Switzerland, operated a dair3' and engaged
in the manufacture of cheese in his native land,
dding an extensive and lucrative business in that
line until his death. He married Mary Stadleman,
and unto them were born six children, three sons
and three daughters, all born in Switzerland.
Mar3- died in that conntrv'; Simon is still living in
his native land; Andrew crossed the ocean and is
now living in Walnut Township, Jefferson County ;
Lena died in Switzerland; Katie is also deceased,
and Lukas completes the number. The father of
this family was a well educated man, possessed of
good business ability, and was a faithful member
of the Catholic Church.

Lukas Zihlman was also born in Luzerne in 1844,
and when three years of age was deprived of a
mother's loving care and watchfulness. He re-

ceived good literary training, and acquired his

business education in his father's establishment, as-
sisting in the management of that business until
his father's death. He determined to try his for-
tune in America in 18G6, and, suiting the action to
the word, crossed the ocean and for a year worked
as a farm hand in Lockridge Towushi|i, Jefferson
County. At the end of that time he became con-
vinced that he could find no better home and, re-
turning to his native laud, he severed all connec-
tion with that countr3' save the pleasant memories
clustered about his childhood home, and once more
set sail for the new world. He has never yet had oc-
casion to regret that step, for he has succeeded even
beyond his expectations in a financial way, and
here friendships have been formed which nothing
could induce him to sever.

In 1 868. Mr. Zihlman was united in marriage
with Miss Lottie Jordan, and immediatel3' -ifter-
wards the young couple began their domestic life
on the farm which has since been their home.
Many changes, however, have since been made.
Their first residence was a little log cabin, their
furniture was somewhat crude in character .as com-
[tared with the furnishings of their home to-day,
and their farm comiirised but one hundred and
sixt3' acres of land, onl3' fifty of which was then
under cultivation, but now the entire amount is
yielding him a readj- return for the care which he
bestows upon it, and Its boundaries have l)een ex-
tended until it embraces an additional eighty-acre
tract, which is also highly improved. Since first
locating upon his farm, Mr. Zihlman has continued
to make it his home, with the exception of five
3-eara which he spent in the "West. He bought land
in Nebraska, but that period of time convinced
him that he preferred Iowa as a permanent place
of residence. He also went to Kansas and helped
to estalilish the town of Colb3', where he carried on
a clothing store for a while. In this county Mr.
Zihlman operated a sawmill for three years and
shi|)ped timber on the railroad. He has greativ
enhanced the value of his farm by adding to it
many excellent imijrovenients, both useful and or-
namental, and by the erection of a commodious
residence.

The children born unto our subject and his

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

431

worthy wife are William, lioni Apiil .'U, 1809;
Lucas, Jaiuiai-y 2, 1871 ; Andrew, April 7, 1873;
Mary, April 4, 187.3; the next two died in infancy;
John, born March 8. 1881 ; Jacob, July 31, 1883;
Adam, December 27, 1884; and Eva, August 13,
1887. The family are all members of the Catholic
Church of Germanville. Tliey have many warm
friends throughout the community, and in the
social world aie lield in high regard.

^iEV. SAMUEL BAILEl' ROSS, Pastor of
tlie Christian Church, of Fairfield, has been
a resident of Iowa since 1852, and when a
lad of eight years he accompanied his par-
ents to Jones County. He was born near I'tica,
N.Y., December 22, 1844, liis parents being Francis
E. and Laura M. (Whitney) Ross. His father was
born September 17, 1807, in Herkimer County,
N. Y., of Scotch parentage. Tlie founder of the
family in America was Capt. John Koss, a gentle-
man of Scottish birth, who served as an officer in
the British army, but sold his commission and emi-
grated to America during the English and French
Wars about the time Gen. Wolfe was killed. He
bought a tract of land of (jen. Herkimer and set-
tled in the county which bears that warrior's name.
The old stone house which Capt. Ross erected is
still standing — a landmark of Colonial days when
this country was still suliject to the British crown.
The mother of our subject was born in Oneida
County, N. Y., April 4, 1812, and was also of
Scotch descent. Sue lost her own mother while
a child and was reared by a German famil3', thus
learning the language of her foster pai'ents, and at
the time of her marriage she could scarcely speak
a word of Plnglish.

We now take up tiie |)ersonal history of our sub-
ject, the Rev. S. B. Ross, tlie highl}' esteemed pas-
tor of the Christian Church, of Fairfield. On the
anniversary of Washington's birthday, in 1852, the
family crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa and

settled in Castle Grove, Jones County. During
his boyhood he attended tlie district schools of the
neighborhood and in his early manliood engaged
in railroading and other employments, but not con-
tent with the educational advantages which iiad
hitherto been afforded him, he entered Oskaloosa
College as a student. His ministerial work began
in the fall of 1874 in Washington County, Iowa,
and one 3'ear later he went to Glenwood, Mills
County, where he remained until 1877. His pas-
torate at that place was followed by three years of
labor in Shenandoah, Page County, and by one
3'ear spent in Creston, Jackson County. The suc-
ceeding 3'ear he was pastor of the church in Whit.
tem, Hardin Count3', after which he accepted a call
from the church at Delta, Keokuk Count3', where
he remained for five 3'ears. At the expiration of
that time, in February, 1888, he accepted his pres-
ent charge in Fairfield, Iowa, and has entered
upon his third year as pastor at this ulace. He
had, however, previously resided in this cit3', hav-
ing here made his home from 1870 until Septem-
ber, 1875.

On the 2d of February, 1876, in Fairlield, Mr.
Ross was united in the holy bonds of matrimony
with Miss Ilulda Sackett, daughter of Simon and
Ede Sackett. She was born in Mahoning Count3',
Oliio, and came to Iowa in March, 1870. Two chil-
dren were born unto the Rev. S. B. Ross and wife,
but both were called to the home above. F'red A.,
born February 9, 1878, died on the 19lh of Febru-
ary of the same 3'ear; Willie C, born in Shenan-
doah, Iowa, July 10, 1879, died on the 30th of
October, 1889. In politics Mr. Ross is both a Pro-
hibitionist and a Republican, voting with the
former party on National questions and with the
latter on State elections. He is a studious, earnest
man, and has proved a popular pastor in the vari-
ous fields where he has been called to labor.

The parents of our subject are both now de-
ceased, the father having died on September 24,
1871, and the mother on December 12, 18G9. Their
family consisted of four sons and two daughters, as
follows: Andrew J., who died at the age of twent3--
tliree 3'ears; Hubbard W., who was a deaf mute
and graduated from tiie Deaf and Dumb Institute,
of New York Citj-, was killed \)y the cars near

•432

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Delevan. Wis., at the age of twenty-three years;
Frank, wlio served as a soldier in Company D,
Ninth Iowa Infantry, during the hite war, is mar-
ried and lives in Ottawa County, Kan.; Alcena is
the wife of Newton Baldwin, also a resident of Ot-
tawa; Rev. Samuel B. is the next younger; and
Laura O., wife of James Zook, of Ottawa County,
completes the family.

-^"#f%-^-

AMl'EL T. HORTON is the oldest living
settler of Loekridge Townshi)), Jefferson
County, his home being on section 27. In

""^""^ his work as a local minister of the Free
IMethodist Church he has hecome widely known
throughout the surrounding eountr\-, and wins the
friendship of all with whom he comes in contact.
A life of uprightness, devoted to the interests of
humanity, has made him a honored citizen of the
ciininiunit_y, and when he shall have passed away
his memory will remain as a potent influence for
good.

Mr. Ilorton was born in Moi'gan County-, III.,
Seplemhcr 17, 1833, and is a son of Urias and
Sarah Ilorton. His fathei was born in Virginia,
October o, 1800, an.l in his youth removed to Ken-
tucky, where he became acquainted with and mar-
ried Miss Sarah Berry. Soon afterward, in 182G,
they became residents of Morgan County, 111.,
where Mr. Horton located land and developed a
farm. In 1839 he crossed the Father of Waters
into the Territor}' of Iowa, and made a location
near Salina, in Loekridge Township. He entered,
land a half-mile west of .Salina, and begun trans-
forming it into a farm, the entire one hundred and
twenty acres being in its primitive condition. Not
a furrow had been turned or an improvement made,
and the land had to be cleared before plowing was
done, but with characteristic energy and )«rsever-
ance Mr. Horton began his task, which he contin-
ued until 1844. He then removed to an eight}'-
acre farm northeast of Salina, upon which the only

improvement was a log cabin. The excitement and
newness of pioneer life seemed to have an attrac-
tion for him, and he succeeded admirably in his
efforts to develop wild prairie into productive
farms. The one on which he located in 1844 con-
tinued to be the home of himself and wife until
they were called to their final home. Mr. Horton
died in 1884, and his wife passed away in 1876.
The^' are numbered among the very earliest of
Jefferson County's pioneers. The^' were familiar
with all the hardships and privations of frontier
life, such as going long distances to market and
mill, doing their farm work with oxen and rude
agricultural implements, living in crowded quar-
ters with furniture of their own manufacture, and
having the wilj' rad men for neighbors.

While Mr. and Mrs. Ilortjn were residing in Illi-
nois, six sons were born unto them, as follows:
Benjamin, who died at the age of eighteen years;
Joseph, now of Missouri, who served during the
war in the Thirtieth Iowa Regiment, and was
wounded in the arm; Samuel, of this sketch; John,
who was a member of the Second Iowa Infantrj',
and was wounded in the leg. is now a Methoilist
minister belonging to the Kansas Conference ;
George W., deceased, was Captain of a company of
the Eighty-fourth Illinois Regiment; ,ind Isaac
Newton is living on the old liomestead. After
coming to lovva the family circle was increased by
the birth of three daughters — Mary J., Sarah E.
and Annie, but all are now deceased.

LTrias Horton was anexem|)lary citizen, one who
in a quiet and unostentatious, yet faithful manner,
performed every duty devolving upon him. He
supported the Democratic party in politics, and in
earl}' life united with the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, but later accepted the doctrines of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, and remained a con-
sistent member until his death.

Samuel T. Horton has spent almost his entire life
in Jefferson County. Fle was a lad of but six
summers when his parents settled upon the farm
near S.alina, where he grew to manhood. He had
taste for clearing land, and became an expert rail
splitter, beating the record of Lincoln b}' making
five thousand rails in one winter. He began his
education in the subscription schools of that early

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

433

fla}-, which was followed by a few tonus attenrlance
at the i)iil)lic schools, but his knowledge there
gained bus been lai'gel\- stipploraented by extensive
reading and study, making him one of the best in-
formed men of his townshii). He remained at
home until twenty-three years of age, when he
married Miss Gincy Crenshaw, a nativ-e of Illinois.

The young coujile began their domestic life in
a log cabin in tlie midst of a forty-acre tract of
timber land, and their place of residence lias never
changed, although the dwelling has undergone a
transformation. Many changes have also been
wrought on the farm, its boundaries have been ex-
tended until it now comprises one hundred and
fifteen acres, this has been divided into fields, and
a glance tells tlie passer-by of unremitting toil and
of the thrift and enterprise of tlie owner. In 1867
he was licensed to preach, ard has had charge of
several circuits. His labors have extended over
portions of Henry, Van Buren and the whole of
Jefferson County. He has often been solicited to
accept a charge, but preferred to be free to go
wherever he believed his services were most needed.
He has probably preached more funerals and mar-
ried more people than an}' man in the county.

In 1864, Mr. Horton was called upon to mourn
the loss of his wife. Three children had been born
of their union, but two died ere the mother's death,
tlie three dying in one week. The surviving daugh-
ter is Laura, wife of Marshall Chilcott, of Osborn
County, Kan. He afterward married Miss Eleanor
Crenshaw, and unto them have been born four sons
and three daughters — Nancy O., born November
18, 1865, is the wife of the Rev. I. H. Gorrell, now
of Burlington, Iowa; Ida, who is living in Burling-
ton ; Matlie, Frank P., George W., Henry and
Ervy Esta, all at home.

The work which Mr. Horton lias accomplished
for his own church cannot be estimated, for h" has
labored long and earnestly- in its interests. He is
a fluent talker, expresses his thoughts with feeling
and force, and has the power of drawing others to
himself by words of kindness and deeds of charity
and love, which convinces them that his /eligion is
not a mere myth, but a part of his life. For eight
years he has been Superintendent of the .Sunday-
school, and labors in all branches of church work.

Like him, his wife delights in doing good, and is
highly esteemed for h"r many excellencies of head
and heart. In politics, he was first a Democrat,
but most of the time has been independent, vbting
for those candidates who supported" Priihihition
principles. In 1884, he voted for St. .John, the
Prohibition candidate. Since that tin.e he has been
a stalwart supporter of the party. He served ac-
ceptably as Justice of the Peace for eight years,
and is now Notary Public.

AMUEL C. FARMER, deceased, was one
^^^ of the leading business men of Fairfield
Ij^l/Jj) and took an active interest in the progress
of that cit}'. His life record is well worthy
a place in this volume and it is with pleasure that we
present this brief sketch to the many friends who
mourn his loss. He was born in Wheeling, W.
Va., Maj' 24, 1807. and in early life received
excellent literary training, his school privileges
being superior to those afforded most 3'ouths of
that day. Subsequently lie prepared himself for
tlie practice of medicine, but as a profession fol-
lowed it onl}- about four years. For some time he
was engaged in the milling business and in Fair-
field devoted his attention to several enterprises
which proved of a helpful character to the city.

Ere his removal to the West, however, Mr.
Farmer, on the 11th of November, 1849, was
joined in wedlock with Mary J., daughter of James
and Margaret (Fletcher) Crawford. The union
was celel)rated in West Liberty, Va., the lady is a
native of Beaver Falls, Beaver County, Pa., her
birth having occurred in that place September 18,
1824. After about seven years residence in liis
native State, Mr. Farmer, accompanied liy his wife,
in 1856, severed his connection with the East and
started for Jefferson County, Iowa. Near Salina,
he purchased a farm, but that business proving
unprofitable, he sold out and removed to Fairfield,
where in 1862, he succeeded to the banking busi-
ness of Bernhart, Heun <fe Co, Having carried on

434

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

a private bank until August. 1865, the instituliou
was I hen merged into tlie First National Bank of
Fairfield, of which INIr. Farmer was made Cashier,
a position which he continued to fill nine years or
until his retirement as a member of the corporation
in 1874. The following year, he and his sons,
Samuel C. Jr. and Joe F., established a bank under
the firm title of Samuel C. Farmer & Sons, which
he continued until his death. He was accounted a
successful and competent business man and the
institution of which he was the head was consid-
ered one of the safe moneyed concerns of the
countj'. Politically, in earl}' life, he was a strong
Whig ; later he became a Republican, with which
party he atliliated until toward the close of his
earthly career when he espoused the principles of
Democracy. He died September 13, 1880, re-
spected by all who knew him.

To Mr. and Mrs. Farmer were born three chil-
dren, the two younger of whom are living. Anna
M., the eldest, now deceased, w.as tiie wife of Alex-
ander McCrackin ; Samuel C. married Miss Coia,
daughter of Edward Campbell and is employed in
a banking establishment of Chicago ; Joe F., who
is an employe in the L'nion Pacific Railroad office
of Council Bluffs, married Miss Nellie, sister of
C. M. McElroy, editor of the Fairfield Tribune.

jMrs. Farmer still resides in Fairfield where she
has many warm friends and a large circle of ac-
quaintances. She is an active worker in the Luth-
eran Church and is much beloved and esteemed for
her many good deeds.

^^^'^EORGE HANSON, who resides on section
(- — , 20, Lockridge Township, has long been a
i4jl resident of Jefferson County, where he is
widely and favorably known. His history is in-
separably connected with that of the neighborhood
and the progress and imtn'ovement which have
here been made are due in no small degree to his
efforts. His parents, Thomas and Anna (Lupton)
Hanson, spent their entire lives in Yorkshire, Eng-

land, where George was born on the 6th of June,
1816. The father was a woolen manufacturer and
in his factory the son learned the trade. Out of a
family of eight children, numbering five sons and
three daughters, he is the only one yet living and
the only one that crossed the ocean. His scholas-
tic training was meager indeed but bj' his own
effort he has acquired sufficient education to trans-
act his own business. A vessel sailing between
England and New York in 1841 bore him to the
shores of this country and in the Empire State he
worked at his trade for some years, being thus em-
ployed in both Lake and Oneida Counties. lie
came to Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1846, and
erected a woolen mill at Crawfords Mills, which
was one of the first, if not the first mill of the kind
in the count}'. He had leased the water privilege
for ten years but the year before the expiration of
the lease, during a freshet, the whole affair was
swept away b}- the ice, causing him considerable
loss.

In 18.57, we again find Mr. Hanson upon the
bosom of the brin}' deep, but after a short visit
spent in renewing acquaintances of former years
and in viewing the scenes of his childhood he re-
turned to his Iowa home. It was agreed that
David Heron should build a grist mill and Mr.
Hanson erect a woolen mill on Brush Creek on the
same site, each to be run by steam power and the
latter carried on business at the place designated
until within the last few years, since which time he
has lived a retiied life. People came to trade
with him not only from all over Jefferson County
but also thi-oughout adjoining counties. He be-
came widely known for his honorable dealings and
the prora|itness with which he dispatched business
and therefore received a liberal patronage. He
worked hard and w.as ever found at the posl of
duty ; during the busy season he would go for
weeks without retiring to his bed, snatching a few
moments for rest as he could. It is not to be
wondered therefore that he succeeded in accumu-
lating a goodly share of this world's goods.

In 1871, Mr. Hanson was united in marriage
with Caroline Nelson, a native of Sweden, born on
the 4th of September, 1831. When a young-
woman she came alone to the I'nited States and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

435

took up her residence in Jefferson County. Four
eliilrtren have been born of this marriage, two sons
and two daughters, George and .Tohn W. being tlie
eldest and youngest of the family. Tlie daiigliteis
are Ida M. and Laura. Mrs. Hanson is a member
of the Swedish Lutlieran Cluireii and in politics
Mr. Hanson is a Republican. He is one of the old
settlers of the county and deserves a place in this
volume devoted to their memory. He has been a
resident of Iowa during its entire existence as a
State, has been a witness of its growth, has been
prominently connected with its business interests
and, as all citizens should do, has labored for the
success of its worthy enterprises.

E^

mCMA*^ H. DYE, a substantial farmer and
stock-raiser of section 12, .Jackson Town-
^^^^ shif), and a representative citizen of Van
Buren County, lias been a resident of Iowa from
his birth. The family is of Irish descent, and was
established in America in C(jlonial days, many of
its members liecoming residents of New York. The
paternal grandfather of our subject grew to man-
liood, was married, and reared a family of children
in the Empire State. Later in life he emigrated to
Ohio, where he died in 18U4, at the very advanced
age of ninety-seven years. His wife died a few
years previous. The father of our subject was
born in Noble County, then Morgan Country, Ohio,
in 1821, and the days of his boyhood and youth
were spent at the parental home in the Buckeye
State. The year 1845 witnessed the celebration of
his marriage to Miss Sarali Buskirk, also a native
of Ohio. Soon after their marriage, they sought a
home beyond the Mississippi, choosing as a loca-
tion Wapello County, in the Territory of Iowa, but
in 1846, the3- removed to Davis County, where on
the 27th of June, 1847, our subject first opened his
eyes to the light of day. The following year the
death of Mr. Dye occurred. Having been afllicted
with white swelling, it was thought probatile that
he would recover, his limb was amputated, but

death came in the midst of the surgical operation.
His remains lie liuried in the cemetery of Lebanon,
and a handsome monument marks the last resting
place of the husband and fatlier, who will never be
forgotten by the children who were the recipients
of his loving care and kindness.

In 1850, his wulow married George Smith, and
came to "\'an Buren County, where Thomas was
reared to manhood. As the schools of a new county
are rather primitive in character, the educational
advantages which our subject reeeive<l, were neces-
sarily limited, but observation and reading in sub-
sequent years have made him a well-informed man.
lie chose the occupation of his father as his life
work, and has carried on farming with most excel-
lent success, winning a competence which now num-
bers him among the well-to-do citizens of the
county. His first purchase of land consisted of
seventy acres which he operated until 1875, when
he sold out and removed to California, but two
years of farm life in that State convinced him that
in his opinion Iowa was preferable for a home. Re-
turning then to ^'an Buren County, he once more
resumed his agricultural pursuits. He purchased
from his step-father the old homestead, and began
life in earnest, determined to secure a fair share of
the world's goods, and provide a comfortable home
for himself and family. The l)oundaries of his
farm have been extended until from a tract of
ninet3--one acres, it has been increased until it com-
prises three hundred and twent3Nseven acres of as
fine land as can lie found in Southeastern Iowa.
The entire amount is under cultivation, yielding a
ready return for the care and labor bestovred upon
it. while many improvements add to the value of
the place, including a comfortable residence, barns
and outbuildings, and everything necessary for the
care of his stock and grain. His fair dealing and
upright life have won him a place in the esteem of
his neighbors and townsmen, and he is one of the
county's representative citizens.

A marriage ceremony performed in 1872, united
the destinies of Thomas Dye and Hattie Kays,
daughter of Martin an<I Mary J. Kays, natives of
New Jersey, who with their family came to Iowa
during the year 18.n8. Mr. Kays has assisted in
the growth and pros|)erity of the county, and is

436

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

uumbered among its early settlers. The wife of
our subject was born in New Jersey, on the 1 1th of
April, 1852, and their marriage was blessed with
four children, but only two are now living: Alia,
the eldest, died in infancy; and Harry, Hhe third
child, died at the age of eight years; Charlie and
Amy are still with their parents.

Mr. Dye and his wife are members of the JSIetho-
dist Church of Cantril, and are faithful workers in
the Master's vineyard. He also holds membership
in Apollo Lodge, No. 461, A. F. & A. M., and in
Prairie Gem Lodge, of the Knights of Pythias. He
is an ardent Republican in politics, and does all in
ills power to i)romote the welfare, and insure the
success of his party. He is a member of the Can-
tril District School Board, recently elected. Dur-
ing the administiation of this Board, they liavo
erected tlie handsome school l)uilding' which stands
as a monunaent to the enterprise and progressive
spirit of its founders. Anything pertaining to tlie
county's welfare, receives the iiearty sujjport and
co-operation of Mr. Dye, and as a valued citizen
of the county, we gladl}' insert his sketch in this
history.

7 AMES T. SNIDER, veterinary surgeon of
Lebanon, Iowa, was born in Jefferson County,
Ind., November 2, 1828. He traces his .an-
(^^7/ eestry back through several generations to a
Mr. Snider, a gentleman of Scottish birth, who left
his native land in the early part of the eighteenth
centur}-, and, braving the dangers of an ocean vo}'-
age, came to America. He was the great-grandfa-
ther of our subject, and in the Revolutionary War
he took an active part as a member of the Colonial
forces, while his son John, the grandfather of our
subject served in the War of 1812. Since the land-
ing of the progenitor of the family in America, his
descendants have been numbered among Virginia's
citizens. In 1804, in that State, John Snider, fa-
ther of the Doctor, was born. He was reared to

manhood in Virginia, where he followed farming
and shoemaking in pursuit of fortune for some
years. In 182(), he married Jane Walker, who was
born in Ohio, in 1812, and whs a daughter of Da-
vid Walker, a native of Ireland. They becaine the
parents of nine children, of whom seven are yet
living, as follows: James T.. of this sketch; Fran-
cis M., a resident of Elk Horn County, Neb.; Silas
A., who is living in Wayne County, Jowa; Samuel,
of Grand County, Colo.; Elizabeth C, widow of
Emery Glass, of Sumner County, Kan.; Cynthia,
wife of Isaac Babb, a resident of the Inilian Terri-
tory; Jane, wife of Israel Salters, whose home is in
Appanoose County, Iowa. Witli his family INIr.
Snider emigrated Westward in 1843. He chose the
Territory of Iow<". as the scene of his future laliors,
and located in Van Buren County. He took an ac-
tive interest in the [jolitical affairs of the commu-
nity, supporting the Republican party, and was
accounted one of the leading citizens of the neigh-
borhood.

In the usual manner of farmer lads, James T.
Snider spent his boyhood days, in which no event
of special importance occurreii. As the scliools in
a new settlement are not of a very advanced grade
the educational advantages which he received were
limited. The summer of 1846, he spent in the
Western wilds of Iowa and Nebraska, making his
home among the Indians, until 1850, when he crossed
the plains, following the armj'' of gold hunters en
route for California. Such a journey was not unat-
tended bj' great risk and peril, and the train to
which Mr. Snider belonged, encountered the Co-
manche Indians in two very severe engagements, ni
which several of the white men were wounded. The
Indians suffered considerable loss, and only gave up
the fight at the killing of their chief, who fell at
the hands of our subject. At length the party
reached Hangtown, Cal., and Mr. Snider made a
location in Diamond Springs, Placer County, where
he engaged in the grocerv business witli good suc-
cess, and also followed mining for eighteen months.
He then returned to Iowa, somewhat richer than
when he started. The return journey was made by
wa}^ of the Isthmus of Panama, during which he
spent some time in sight-seeing on the Isthmus and
on the Island of Hayti. Jn December, he landed

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

43T

at New York City, ami continued liis journey
homeward, wliere he at length arrived, after liav-
ing traveled across the entire country, and around
it. Mr. Snider then engaged in buying and selling
horses until 185(i, when he embarked in the mercan-
tile business in Lebanon, in which line he continued
until 1860, when he began traveling over the coun-
try as a peddler. Later he engaged in the hotel
business, but in the spring of 18G4, he laid aside
business pursuits, feeling that his country needed
his services.

On the 4th of January, 1864, he enlisted in Com-
pany G, Third Iowa Cavalry, serving under Capt.
John Stiger, while Col. J. W. Noble commanded
the regiment. After participating in the battle of
Memphis, Mr. Snider was placed on detached dut}',
and stationed at Little Rock, Ark. His two broth-
ers, Frank and iSilas were also in the service, being
members of Company G, Thirty-Sixth Iowa Infan-
try. At the close of tlie war he was mustered out,
and received his discharge August li), 1865, after
which he returned to his home in Iowa. He then
took up his present profession, that of veterinary
surgery, which he has since continued. He has
gained a wide reputation in the line of his present
business, and his large i)ractice yields him a good
income. He has a liost of friends won by his hon-
est dealings, fair treatment and ability.

In 1854, Mr. Snider was united in marriage with
Elizabeth A. Wilson, a native of Ohio, who died in
1872, leaving one child, a daughter, Mary Jane, who
died in 1887. Mr. Snider was again married in 1874,
his second union being with Martha Jane Harris,
daughter of Stephen and HJizabeth (Pui'cell) Har-
ris, who are numbered among the |noneer settlers
of Van Buren County of 183G. I'lie father was
born September 3, 171I0, in Pennsylvania, and his
marriage was colebraled May 31, 1827. Twelve
cliildron were l)orn of the union, but only three are
now living. The father died February 4, 1847, and
the mother passed away December 19, 1878. Mi',
and Mrs. Snider have no children of tlieii own, but
are rearing an adopted daughter, Elizabeth Kellar.

In his political afliliations. Dr. Snider is a su[)-
porter of tlie Democracj'. He has held several lo-
cal offices of trust, was Constable for a number of
years, two years tilled the position of Justice of the

Peace, after which he acted as Assessor, and is now
Township Commissioner. He is also President of
the Lebanon Cemetery Association, Past]Master of
Keosauqua Lodge, No. 9, A. F. <fe A. M., and a
Trustee in tlie Methodist Episcopal Church. He
has witnessed almost the entire growth of Van
Buren County, and on the list of its honored early
settlers his name is enrolled.

5^^ AVID K. CALHOUN is another of the rep-
resentative citizens of Van Buren County
who devotes his time and attention to agri-
cultural pursuits. His home is on section 15,
Union Township, where a farm of two hundred
acres furnished with all modern improvements, pa^'s
tribute to theeareand cultivation he bestows upon
it. The entire surroundings indicate the thrift
and enterprise of the owner, and as a worthy citi-
zen of the community his sketch is deserving a
place in the volume of his county's history.

The Calhoun family is of Scotch extraction but
the grandparents of our subject were born in Ire-
land, whence in childhood they emigrated to
Pennsylvania where they were married. William
Calhoun, father of David, was born in Westmore-
land County, Pa., April 1 '>, 1804, and in his youth
he learned the wheelwright's trade, which he fol-
lowed until after his marriage to Miss Mary Tor-
rence, who was born in Westmoreland County,
October 7, 1804. She too was of Scotch Irish de-
scent and was a sister of Col. William M. Tor-
rencc of the Thirtieth Iowa Infantr}'. Mr. Calhoun
a/id his family' turned their faces toward the setting
sun and traveling westward at length made a loca-
tion upon the farm wliich is now the home of
David K. Calhoun, lioth parents were believers
in the Presbyterian doctrine and consistent mem-
bers of the church. The husband died October 8,
1872, and on February 18, 1887, Mrs. Calhoun
passed away. The five children of their family
are Mrs. Elizabeth S. Phillips, whose home is in
Peniisvivania: Mrs. Marv U'. Gorilon of Fairfield;

438

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Samuel J., a farmer and teacher of Nebraska; Mrs.
Margaret, Hill of Jefferson County, Iowa; and
David K.

The last named, whose history is of interest to
our re.iders, was born in Westmoreland County,
Pa., March 9, 1842, and when a lad of sixteen
years came to this county. He is numbered among
tiie boys in blue of Company I, Nineteenth Iowa
Infantr}', with whom he enrolled his name on the
13th of August, 1862. Until the following summer
they operated in Southern Missouri. He had been
confined in the hospital in Springfield, Mo., wlien
Marniaduke made his raid on that city but when
volunteers were called for in the hospital, he, with
others, at once shouldered his musket and marched
to the defense of the town. From there he went
to Vicksbnrg, and with his regiment took part in
its siege and capture. Following this occurred the
Black River Expedition in which he took part,
then came the battle of Port Hudson, after which
they were ordered to Morganza, where the Nine-
teenth Iowa and Twenty-sixth Indiana, together
with a small force of cavalry were sent to Sterl
ings Farm, about half v/ay between the opposing
lines. B}' a circuitous route they were cut off
from reinforcements, and for more tlian two hours
with an effective force of aljont four hundred and
fifty men they kept in check the enemy who ten to
one out-numbered them. Mr. Calhoun was on
picket duty at the time of the attack. All were
taken prisoners and after marching all day long
they were kept in Slirevesport for twenty hours
without provisions ; all sparable articles were given
to hucksters for food. They were then marched to
Tyler, Tex., where they were kept in stockade
without shelter and when winter came were sent
back to Shreveport. In March, the}' were once
more hurried back to Tyler, Tex., then soon after-
wards again started for Shreveport, but were re-
turned to Tyler. Finally, however, they were
taken to Shreveport and exclianged on the 22d
of Jul}', 1864, having been held in captivit}' from
the 29th of February, preceding. Mr. Calhoun
then went with his comrades to New Orleans, where
he received good clothing and food. Some weeks
later the regiment was again formed and went to
Ft. Barancas, Fla., after which the troops partici-

pated in the capture of Spanish Fort and Mobile.
Our subject was discharged at Mobile, Ala., July
10, 1865, after three years of hard service on
southern battle fields. He was quite fortunate,
however, in receiving no wound of any kind.

On the 19th of November, 1868, Mr. Calhoun
was united in marriage with Miss Emma Travis
wiio was born in Indiana County, Pa., June 12,
1849, and is a daughter of Martin B. and Isabella
(Brown) Travis. Her father was born in the Key-
stone State, July 22, 1805, but his wife was a native
of Ireland, born September 18. 1811, and brought
to this country during her infancy. They were
married in Penns3'lvania where her death occurred
September 3, 1854. Subsequently he married Cathe-
rine Redman and emigrated to .Shelby County,
III., where he died September 3, 1865.

Mrs. Calhoun was one of eight children, five of
whom are living, tliree sons and two daughters.
She came to this count}' in 18G5, and by her mar-
riage four children have been born — E. Birdie, wife
of Jesse Bonnette, of Union Township, Van Buren
County; Mary Luella, Johnson B. and Lillie B.
The parents are members of the Presbyterian
Church and since their marriage have resided upon
the farm which is yet their heme. He is a Repub-
lican in politics and belongs to Newell Post, G. A.
R., in which he has held the office of Chaplain. '-A
good name is rather to be chosen than great riches"
says the wise man, and assuredlj' Mr. Calhoun has
that valuable possession for he is one of Van Buren
County's trusted and honored citizens.

-^-

==sSJ=^

w OHN LOCKE came to Fairfield, Jefferson
County, Iowa, in the fall of 1854, and has
remained as a farmer and beekeeper till the
present time, in the southern part of Jeffer-
son County.

He is a native of County Antrim, near Larne,
Ireland. Was born August 13, 1829. He vvas
married December 28. 1853, to Mary McDowell,
of the same place. The issue of said marriage.

^^€;^

^$2.^>^

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

■141

Samuel Locke, Mary Locke, Jane Locke and Lizzie
Locke. Tlie first two lielp on tlie farm and tlie
last two are teaoliers liy profession.

He owns a farm containing two lunulreil and
forty acres of land in a fair state of cultivation.
He has held some district and township offices. Js
not a politician. In religion Unitarian. He docs
not tliink that he (jeserves the distinction of an
old settler ot this place, yet says that he has re-
ceived so miicii generous kindness from old settlers,
both of Jefferson and Van Buren Counties, Iowa,
that if putting his name down for a book will per-
petuate their good acts aud their good name . he
will willingly do so.

3g-J^i^^

ox. WILLIAM A.TADE, who lives on sec-
\\ lion 4, Harrlsburg Township, is a prominent
and intluential farmer of Van Buren County
Qj and her representative in the General As
serably of the State. Widely known, witli a circle
of friends almost innumerable, his sketch will be
of interest to mauy, and we take pleasure in thus
presenting him to the readers of the Album. He
is not only now a resident of Iowa, but was born
in the Hawkeye State, his birth occurring in Lee
County on the 17th of September, 1841. Little
is known concerning the earlj' historj' of tlie fam-
il3', except that his grandfather was a resident of
Kentucky, whence at un early day he removed to
Illinois. He also held a commission in the Black
Hawk War. John Tade, father of our subject, was
but five years of age when he accompanied his
parents to Illinois, where he grew to manhood and
married Blartha Davis. In 1835 he became a
resident of Lee County, Iowa, making a location
near Ft. Madison, in what is now Denmark Town-
ship. He bought land at the first land sale in the
Territory of Iowa and made his home in Lee
County until 1854, when he came to Van Buren
County. His Lome is now in Decatur Count}',
Kan. His wife died in 184H, when our subject
was a lad of some seven summers. Nine children

were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Tade, and all grew
to mature years, while seven are yet living, as fol-
lows: Ewing O., a Congregational minister, now
in charge of the church of East Grand ville, Mass.;
George W., who died while a student in Iowa Col-
lege, in 1858; B. F., a retired farmer of Sacra-
mento, Cal.; James A., who died from disease con-
tracted in the late war; Susan E., wife of William
G. Marshall, of Kansas; John D., a resident farmer
of Decatur County, Kan.; W. A., of this sketch;
Lottie, wife of J. B. Percival, a farmer of Harris-
burg Township; and Mary A., now Mrs. G. K.
Dewey, of Nebraska.

Our subject spent his boyhood days in a manner
common to farmer lads, alternating his time between
labor in the fields and the perusal of the common
branches of learning. In October, 1861, when
twenty years of age, he entered the service of his
countr}' as a private of Company F, Fourteenth
Iowa Infantry, and after being mustered in at
Davenport, was, with his regiment, assigned to the
Army of the Tennessee and sent at once to the
front. He participated in the engagements at Fts.
Henry and Donelson, and at the battle of Shiloh
was captured by the enemy, remaining a prisoner
for eight months, during which time he was incar-
cerated in Montgomery. Mobile and Macon, and
finally was sent to the horrible Libby Prison, where
he was afterward paroled and exchanged. He then
rejoined his regiment, which was stationed at Ben-
ton Barracks, and later took part in an expedition
to Kolla, Mo., whence the troops made their way
down the river to Cairo, III., where Mr. Tade
served on detached duty for several months as
river detective in the Provost Marshal department.
While engaged in tlie discliarge of those duties he
was commissioned Lieutenant of an independent
company' known as the Liberia Guards, which was
organized by Gen. Buford, and wiih whicli com-
pany he made an expedition to Helena, Ark. At
Little Rock, Ark., the company was merged into
the Fift3'-seventli United Stales Colored Regiment,
and Mr. Tade was made (Quartermaster and served
in that capacity until January', 18G6, when lie was
made Captain of the company and ordered to
New Mexico; here he remained until December
of tlie same year, when he returned to Leaven-

442

PORTRAIT AND BIOG^RAPFIICAI. ALBUM.

worth, Kan., and was honorably discliarged, after
havin;; been in tlio service continually for more
than five years. During the entire time lie was
never known to shirk any task imposed upon him,
but was ever faithful to his duty and the cause
for which he was valiantly fighting.

Early in the year 1867 Mr. Tade began the im-
provement of the farm on which he now lives, but
which be had purchased some time previous. He
now possesses a well-improved farm of two hun-
dred and five acres, divided into fields of con-
venient size, a glance at which shows to tlie ob-
server that a man of thrift and industry has the
management and control of the same. He is also
a leader among the stock-raisers of the county and
has made a specialty of Hereford cattle and Shrop-
shire sheep, being among the first to introduce
both into the county. In reality he did not begin
his business career until 1867, and the wonderful
progress which he has made should be the cause of
pride to himself and friends.

In June. 1868, Mr. Tade was united in marriage
with INIiss Sarah E.Devvej^the union being celebrated
in Lee County, Iowa, where the lady was born.
Her parents were George H. and Chloe B. (But-
ler) Dewey, both natives of Massachusetts. Unto
them were born seven children, yet living — Nellie
B., Alice C, Howard D., Orville, Kate, Lilly and
Lola (twins), all living at home. The mother of
this family died on the 10th of May, 1881, in the
faith of the Baptist Church, of wiiicli she has been
an active and devoted member for many years. In
1882 he was again married, his second union being
with Miss Nancy Dewey, a sister of his former
wife, and unto thein have been born two children
— Willie B. and John L. Mr. and Mrs. Tade and
tlie four eldest children arc members of the Bap-
tist Church, of Harrisburg, in which he holds the
office of Deacon. He is an active advocate of all
laudable enterprises and a libera! contributor to
benevolent and charit.nble institutions. Social! v,
he is a member and Past Commander of J. L. Jor-
dan Post, G. A. R., of Hillsborough, also belongs
to the Farmers Alliance, being President of the
Harrisburg Society, and holds membership in the
Masonic lodge. The interest which he has taken
in i)i)litics has contributed not a little to the suc-

cess of his party — the Republican — inVanBureu
County. A firm believer in its principles and one
of its stanchest advocates, he Labors for its wel-
fare and is an influential member in its State and
county conventions. He was honored by an elec-
tion to the State Legislature, and displaj-ing the
same fidelity to duty which has characterized his
entire life, he is proving hipiself an efficient and
capable officer. He makes no hasty decisions, but,
witli the interests of the peoph; at heart, carefully
weighs all subjects which come before the Assem-
bly for settlement, and his judgments are therefore
unbiased and have the stamp of a true and loyal
citizen upon them.

3^ffl§J^S=

^(S)URNl'M SAUNDERS CALHOUN, one of
^ * the early settlers of Van Buren County,
>y engaged in farming on section 21, Union
Township, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, July 5,
1838, his parents being Newton and Esther (Saun-
ders) Calhoun. His grandfather. David Calhoun, a
gentleman of Scotch-Irish descent, emigrated from
Beaver County. Pa., to Holmes County, Ohio, about
1816, but further than this little is known concern-
ing the early histori' of the family. At the time of
the removal, Newton Calhoun, who was born May 19,
1809, was in his eighth year. He v;as reared among
the wild scenes of that heavily timbered country
and in his youth was inured to hardships, while
into his mind were instilled lessons of industry.
His scholastic training was very limited indeed.
Before attaining his majority, he was married on
the 8th of April, 1830, to Matilda Saunders, who
was born October 16, 1811, and bj' whom he had
three children, one of whom died in infancy, wliile
George and Thomas are farmers of Scotland
Count}', Mo. His wife died February 12,- 1836,
and on the 18th of October, of the same year l)e
•wedded Esther Saunders, sister of his first wife,
who was a native of New York State, but when
two j'ears of age removed with her parents to
Holmes County, Oliio. She was born April 5, 1815.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

443

Her father followed the sea for some years and sev-
eral of his brothers were either owners or masters of
vessels.

Newton Callioun cleared a farm in Oliio. Ho
was a man of great [ihick and energy as is shown
by the fact that when about twenty-six years of
age a tree fell u|)on him, injuring him severely, but
upon his knees he cleared several acres of land. He
was a man of powerful physique and after he w.as
seventy-five years of age he drove a sled three
miles, cut two cords of wood, leaving the butts for
rails, and hauled one cord home at night.

Tiiinking to better his financinl condition by a
removal further westward, with a four-horse team
lie brought his family to ^'an Buren County,
arriving in the month of May, 1^39. On section
17, Union Township, he located land. paying $1,000
for a three hundred and twenty acre claim which
he then had to enter from the government. Four
poles held tlie claim but not an improvement had
been made thereon, lie cut logs, piled them one
above another in the form of a house, secured clap-
boards from which he formed the roof and the
same day moved into his cabin. He was an enter-
prising man and soon built a brick honse, one of
the best in the country. lie was not a marked
success as a financier, but be reared a family who
became useful citizens and by his own efforts liid
not a little to advance the interests of the com-
munity. His second wife died Se|)tember 1 7, 1878.
Nine children were born of that union, sis of
whom are living — ^'urnum of this sketch ; Newton
L.. a resident farmer of \'an Buren County; Ross
who is engaged in the mercantile and real-estate
business in Ness City, Kan.; John C. who was
killed by lightning when sixteen years of age.
James T.. proprietor of a hotel in Ness City, Kan.;
Orange S. who died at the age of ten years; SmiU\
P. who died when four years of age; Nathan S.,
County Clerk, cf Ness County, Kan.; and Mrs. R.
M. Bonnette. Mr. Calhoun was a third time
married in 1881, the lady of his choice being Belle
Barker. Unto them was born a daughter, Mary.
Mr. Calhoun has been a life-long Methodist, served
as Class-Leader for many years, has given liberally
in support of the Gosiu'l and has lived a consistent
Christian life. The uiolhcr of our subject was

also a member of that church, and was a lady of
more than ordinary ability, being well informed
on political questions and other subjects of inter-
est. Believing the abolition principles to be of
the utmost importance she influenced not a few to
her way of thinking. The home of Mr. and Mrs.
Calhoun was a station on the I'nderground Rail-
waj' and when the Ropul)lican |)arty was formed
to prevent the further extension of slavery, he was
one of the first to espouse its cause. He is now an
old man who at farthest can live but a few j-ears
longer, but his life h.as been well spent in the ser-
vice of him whom he recognizes as Master and an
influence for good will remain long after he has
l)assed awaj'.

t)ur subject is the ehlest of the family of nine
children and therefore nnicli of the labor of the
farm devolved upon him. He remained at home
until the spring of 18G2, when he went to California
by way of New York and the Isthmus of Panama,
where he prospected a little but mostly worked on
ranches. The following year he returned by way
of the Isthmus, being the first to re- establish the
line broken by the bandit Walker. Previous to
this time he had operated a threshing machine and
his services were in great demand, having in fact
to refuse manj' who would have employed him had
he the opportunity to perform their work. On his
return from California, he again resumed this bus-
iness, which he foUovyed successfullj' for some
twelve years, after which for some three years, he
was employed by the Government to bale hay.

V. S. Calhoun and Miss Nancy Spraker, a
native of Indiana, were united in n'arriage, on the
3(1 of November, 1870. She was eight years of
age when she came to this countj' and after five
years of happy wedded life she died September 20,
1875, in the faith of tlie Methodist Church, of
which she was a consistent member. On the 17tli
of February, Mr. Calhoun wedded Emma E.
Fleming, who was born in Brown County, Ohio,
February 10, 1852, but was reared in Pennsylvania
until fourteen years of age, when in 1866 she
came to Iowa. They have two children, sons,
Vurnum S. and John N.

iMr. Calhoun devoted his time and attcntiun to
the operation of his excellent furm of two hundred

444

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

and fifty acres and to the raising and shipping of
stonk. He keeps on hand only the best grades
and these he has in considerable numliers. Twice
has he led the Chicago market with stock of bis
own feeding. In politics he is a Republican and
cast his first vote for President Lincoln. For more
than half a century he has lived in this county,
has witnessed its growtli and progress and aided in
its development. Through the greater part of
that time he has been identified with its agricul-
tural interests and in the promotion of its enter-
prises he has borne his share. He is accounted a
good citizen and lanks among the well-to-do
farmers of Union Township.

-^^

lEORGE CRAINE, an early settler and
it business man of Fairfield, now
was born near Hollidaysburg, Pa.,
January 16, 1814, and was the son of Abram and
Maria (Emeigh) Craine. In his youth he received
a common school education and learned the car-
penter's trade, after which he started westward to
seek his fortune. In 1836, he became a resident of
Sangamon County, 111., where he formed the
acquaintance of Miss Nancy J. Kardin, and their
friendship ripening into love they were married in
1841. The lady was born in Adair County, Ky.,
her parents being Asa and Elizabeth (Taylor)
Hardin. In 1842, Mr. Craine and his j'oung wife
cast their lot with the early settlers of the Territory
of Iowa, becoming residents of Iowa City, but a
year later they made a location in Fairfield. Ten
children were born unto tiiem, Ave sons and five
daughters. The eldest, George January, was horn
in Iowa City, and died at the age of two months.
Tlie birth of the others occurred after the removal
of the parents to Fairfield. Alice E., the second
child, is still a resident of her native city; Laura
Irene, became the wife of J. E. Roth and died in
March, 1888, at the age of forty-one years; Maria
Elizabeth and Abram Asa were twins, but tlie
latter lived only one day, and the former died at

the age of a year; Maria Louise died, aged three
years; Edward Walton wedded Susan Eckert and is
living in Missouri Valley, Iowa: Benjamin Taylor
died at the age of two years; Mannie Eliza is un-
married and resides in Fairfield; and Georije
Hardin, the youngest, who also makes his home in
that city, wedded Miss Virginia I. Davidson.

On removing from Iowa City to Fairfield, Mr.
Craine engaged in merchandising, which he con-
tinued until 1858, when he went to Colorado,
taking with him the first quartz mill ever intro-
duced into that territory. He made several jour-
neys back and forth between Fairfield and Colorado,
and was connected with mining operations in that
State for more than ten years, but continued his
home in Fairfield throughout that time. About
1868, he engaged in operating a sawmill in Jeffer-
son County, and two j-ears later became exten-
sively engaged in contracting and building in
Fairfield. He erected the first brick dwelling
house in that city, which is now occupied by Mrs.
Eliza Eckert, and in the prosecution of his trade
was largely instrumental in the upbuilding of
Fairfield. In the course of his operations as a
builder he erected a large proportion of the prin-
cipal business bouses facing the public square, as
well as many of the other public buildings in the
city, and numerous private residences. He was a
man of indomitable energy and enterprise, a
thorough mechanic and an industrious worker.

In politics Mr. Craine was a Whig in early life
and joined the Republican party on its organization,
being an earnest and stanch supporter of his party
principles. For seTeral years he served acceptably
as an alderman on the Fairfield Citj- Council. His
wife, whose death occurred January 9th, 1888, was
a member of the Presbyterian Church and a most
exemplary wife and mother. Mr. Craine also at-
tended the same church, but did not hold member-
ship therein. He was much interested in the
Masonic order, having been initiated into the
mysteries of Clinton Lodge, A. F. & A. M. of Fair-
field on the 19th of November, 1866, and was a
true and faithful member in good standing at the
time of his death, which occurred on the 24th of
Octaber, 1889, after a short illness. He was a man
of an inventive turn of mind and perfected several

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

445

useful inventions, among which was a shingle-
making machine and a planer. As a citizen, he was
piiblic-s|iiiited and took a warm interest in llie
welfare of his home, city and county. His entire
course in life was characterized by the strictest in-
tegrity, a genial cordiality and sincerity of pur-
pose that won him the deep and lasting regard of
the most worthy people of his acquaintance.

^

^fe^^

(EORGE H. CRAINE, late trusted emiiloye
.. of the firm of J. E. Roth & Co., of Fair-

^^^^ 8eld, and one of the representative men of
the city, was born on the 7th of October, 1860, in
Fairfield, anl i.s a son of George and Nancy (Har-
din) Craine. His early life passed uneventfully.
Ills primary education was acquired in the public
schools, and supplemented by a course in Parsons
College, after which he entered upon his business
career, at the .age of seventeen years, as a salesman
in a mercantile establishment of his native city.
With the exception of about three years he has
continued to serve in that capacity in Fairfield.

On the 22d of April, 1»84, in Madison, Ind.,
Mr. Craine was united in marriage with IMiss Vir-
ginia Idell Davidson, a native of Madison County,
and a daughter of William W^. and Anna M. Da-
vidson. She is a lady of culture and refinement,
and in the years of her residence in Fairfield has
won many warm friends. After his marriage Mr.
Craine located in this city, but in 1886 went to
Minneapolis, Minn., where he spent some two years
engaged in merchandising. Previous to that time
he had also spent one year in Missouri Valley
Junction, Iowa, in the office of the Sioux City &
Pacific Railroad Company, but with these excep-
tions his home has always been in the city of his
birth. On returning to Fairfield, in 1888, he en-
tered the employ of J. E. Roth & Co. His careful
attention to his business, his fidelity to the inter-
ests of the establishment, and his prompt and cour-
teous treatment of the patrons of the store, have
won for him the confidence and regard of his em-

ployers and the respect of all with whom he has
come in contact. Those vvho have known Mr.
Craine from his boyhood are numbered among his
warmest friends — a fact which indicates that his
life has been a useful and honorable one.

In his iiolitical affiliations our subject is a sup-
porter of Republican principles, having voted vvith
that party since attaining his majority, and in his
social relations he is a memiier of the Knights of
Pythias. Both Mr. Craine and his wife are mem-
bers of the Christian Church, and he is active and
influential in all m.atters pertaining to the church
and the promotion of its interests. Other worthy
interests also receive his hearty support, and the
community finds in him a useful and valued citi-
zen.

Mr. Craine has removeil to Minneapolis, Minn.,
August 28, 1890, to take charge of the cloak de-
partment in the large dry-goods establishment of
Segelbaum Bros., of Nos. 257 and 259 Nicollet
Avenue.

F]NRY C. MILLER, whose home is on sec-
V tion 27. Farmington Township, Van Buren
'fV^ County, devotes his energies to farming and
^ stock raising. His chaiacteristic energy
and ability have made him one of the progressive
farmers of the community, and it is with pleasure
that we record his sketch in this volume. He was
born on the 26th of September, 1848, in St. Louis
County, Mo., and was of German descent. His
father, Adam Miller, was born in Kour Hessen,
Germany, in 1820, and when a lad of fourteen
summers accompanied his parents on their emigra-
tion to the United States. Becoming a resident of
St. Louis County, Mo., he there formed the ac-
quaintance of Miss Elizabeth Smith, who was born
in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in 182L She too
came with her parents to America, being then six-

I teen years of age. The acquaintance of the young
couple ripened into love, they were married and

I began their domestic life in St. Louis County, Mo.,

446

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALHUM.

where for a time Mr. Miller was etuploj'ed as a

teacher of both English and German, Init farming
was his principal occupation. In 1854 he removed
with his famil}' to Lee County, Iowa, and three
years later became a resident of Des Moines
County, where he died August 24, 1889. By his
ballot he supported the principles of the Repub-
lictni party, and religiously, he was a member of
the Evangelical Church, to which his wife also be-
longs. She is still living and makes her home with
her children.

Our subject is the fourth in a family of nine
children, seven of whom are yet living. Amid
play and work on bis father's farm bis boyhood
days were spent, and he was educated in both the
English and German languages. He worked at
home until he had attained his majority, when his
father knowing that he would then wish to begin
life for himself, gave him forty acres of land. He
beg.in faiming on his own responsibility, and has
carried on that occupation continuously since with
good success. As a helpmate on hij life's journes'
he chose Miss Minnie lloiitzel, a native of Lee
County, Iowa, born January 15, 1855, and a daugh-
ter of Christian and Christina (Elike) Ilentzel, both
of whom were natives of Hanover, Germany, tiie
former born in 1813, and the latter in 1815. Hav-
ing married, they resided in tlie old country
until 1854, when the\' determined to seek a home
in the United States. They made a settlement on
a farm in Lee County', Iowa, where for many years
they cootinued to reside, but both have now passed
away, the death of Mr. Hentzel occurring in 1881,
while his wife was called home in 1887. In their
family were four children, two of whom are yet
living. The parents were members of the Evan-
gelical Church, and Rlr. llenlzel was a Democrat
in politics.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Miller was cele-
brated March S, 1877, and they at once took up
their residence upon their present farm, which com-
prises three hundred and seven acres of arable
land, furnished with good buildings and supplied
with all necessary improvements. Their home has
been gladdened by the presence of five interesting
children, as follows: Loui H., Louellah M., Esther
M., Adam W, and Aura J. Both Mr. and Mis.

Miller are members of the Melhodiat Episcopal
Church, and in the Master's vineyard are faithful
workers. He has served as Steward and Trustee,
and also gives liberally to the support of the
Gospel.

■^^ K. TEN EYCK, one of the honored pioneers
and a self-made man of Van Buren County,
residing on section 36, Chequest Township,
has for forty-five years made his home in this
community. He has been a witness of the greater
part of the growth and progi-ess of the county and
has been identified witli its growth and develop-
ment.

On the paternal side Mr. Ten Eyck traces his
ancestry back to Holland. His grandparents, the
founders of the family in America, left their native
laud and settled in this countiy prior to the Revo-
lutionary' War. On the maternal side ho is of Irish
descent. The parents of his mother during the Irish
Revolution fled to tliis country and located in
Schoharie County, N. Y., in early Colonial days.
They s[)ent the remainder of their lives in the Em-
l)ire State and the husband served in the Frenrli
and Indian War.

Christopher Ten Eyck. the father of our subject,
was a native of Albanj' County. N. Y., and through-
out his entire life followed farming in that Stale.
lie married Polly Kennedy, also a native of Albany-
Count}', whose death occurred in 1826. He died
some twenty-four years later in 1850. Of their
four children, three are yet living: Thomas, a resi-
dent of Rensselaer County, N. Y. ; G. K., of this
sketch, .and Mrs. Ellen jNIorris, of Frankfort, Ind.

The boyhood days of our subject were spent in
the vicinity of Albany, N. Y. Not content with
the limited education which he had acquired in the
district schools, while learning the trade of a car-
penter and joiner he attended night school in that
cit_y, thereby adding not a little to his store of
knowledge. The studious and enterprising habits
of those years have characterized his entire life and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

447

lie yet kee|)s himself well informed on matters of
general interest. His term of apprentieosliip to bis
chosen traile having exiiired, he followed that pur-
suit in Albany and vicinity for several years, but
at length be came to the West to try bis fortune
upon its broad prairies. In 1S46 lie purchased two
hundred acres of raw land and began the clevelop-
meiit of a farm. He was then a single man, but
after having made some preparations for a home,
in 1847 he returned Ui bis native State, where was
awaiting him a lady who bad promised liim her
band in marriage. The wedding of Mr. Ten Eycl<
and JMiss Christina M. Bink was then celebrated
and with bis bride he returned to Iowa. Her par-
ents, Philip and Mary (Harrington) Bink, were
natives of New York and of German descent. (Jf
this marriage three children were born, all of whom
are deceased.

The young couple began their domestic life upon
a farm in Chequest Township, which at one time
comprised three hundred acres, but it now cm-
braces one hundred and forty acres of highly cul-
tivated land, he having disposed of the remaining
portion. lu 1849 be went to St. Louis, where he
spent one year working at bis trade, but with that
exception he has continuously made his home in
Van Buren County since 1846. He has carried on
•agricultural [lursuits and also done considerable
carpentering, by which means he has acquired a
good propert}' which now places him in comforta-
ble circumstances.

Mr. Ten Eyck was called upon to mourn the loss
of his wife in 18.54, and in IS.'jG, in V'an Buren
County, be wedded Rosannah Elizabeth Sellers, a
native of Indiana, and a daughter of Benjamin
Sellers. Both her parents died in Indiana. By
this union has been born four children, three of
whom are deceased; the one living, Oliver E., mar-
ried Mary Vincent, daughter of S. E. X'incent, and
is now engaged in teaching school in this count}'.
Mr. and Mrs. Ten Eyck have a jileasant home situ-
ated only a short distance from Lebanon, in fact
that town was built upon a part of bis farm. They
are highly respected throughout the community,
and their home is the abode of hospitality. Mr.
Ten Eyck is a Democrat in politics and is a mem-
ber of the School Board. The cause of education

finds in him a warm friend, and he has done effect-
ive service for her interests. Large-hearted and
liberal, he is a friend to the poor and needy and
ills has been the helping band stretched out to
many who, had it not been for his timely aid, would
doubtless have been involved in bankruptcy. At
one time lie bid in a farm that vas sold at a sher-
iff's sale and thus gave the previou.« owner a chance
to redeem bis home. His life is made up of such
commendable acts as that, and in consequence he
has won the lasting regard and lespect of those
with whom he has been brought in contact.

ON. THOMAS MOORMAN, deceased, an
early settler and honored citizen of Jef-
ferson County, was born in Ohio on
J) the 7lh of September. 1809, bis pa-
rents being Charles and Elizabeth jNIoornian.
In the county of his nativity he was reared
to manhood and learned the trade of manu-
facturing saddletrees, which business he followed
for some years though he made farming liis prin-
cipal occupation through life.

In Highland County, Ohio, on the IGlh of April,
183.3, Mr. Moorman was united in marriage with
Miss Margaret Canaday, a native of that county,
and Ijy their union were born unto them the fol-
lowing children — Anna E., wdio was born January
29tb, 1834, and is the wife of Parker B. Grafton
of Polk Township, Jefferson County; Eliza E., born
March 9, 183.1, became the wife of Matthew
Junkin and died in September, 1870; Amanda J.,
born March 13, 1837, is the wife of Wilkins War-
wick, of Kansas; Charles W., born November 2,
1838, was a soldier in the late war, married Etta
.Smitii and is now living in Black Hawk Township;
Albert M., born January 6, 1841, died October 31,
1847; Martha M., born August 4, 1844, is the wife
of Dr. Webster Soarle, of Ottumwa; AVilliam T.,
who was born December 4, 1846, and was also in
the late war, married Anna Greenwood and lives
in Fairfield; Lewis C. born Mareh 2, 1849, died

448

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

February 6, 1850; Sarah A. born August 19, 1850,
is the wife of William Campbell, of Florence,
Alabama, and the j^oungest of the family.

Hearing favorable reports of Iowa and the ad-
vantages afforded her early settiers, Mr. Moorman
determined to make a location within her borders
and in 1844, accompanied by his family, settled on
a farm in Fairfield Township, Jefferson County.
Again beginning life in earnest, his efforts were
crowned with success and everything passed along
well until 1854, when the wife and mother was
cailed to her final rest, her death occurring on the
22nd of January 1854. Mr. Moorman was again
married on the 19th of April, 1859, his second
union being with Mrs. Leah B. Robinson, widow
of Dr. Sawyer Robinson, whoso sketch appears else-
where in this work. .She was born in Butler
County, Ohio, June 2, 1826, and is a daughter of
Finley M. and Elizabeth (Gray) Brooks. Her pa-
rents were early settlers of Brookville, in Locust
Grove Township, she having accompanied them to
the county in 1846. One child has been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Moorman, Eva C, who was born
July 2, 1863, and became the wife of J. L.
Ganier, of Fairfield, her death occurring March 22,
1885.

Mr. Moorman continued his farming operations
up to the time of his death. As he possessed en-
ergy, good management and business ability, he
met with success in his undertakings and be-
came owner of a fine farm of three hundred and
live acres in P^airfield Township, which has since
been divided among Ihe family. In his earlier
years, he took an active i)art in public affairs and
was an influential citizeu of the community. In
the legislative assenililv' of 1857, and 18.58, he ser-
ved as a member and was also Justice of the Peace
for several years. He was reared in the faith of
the Society of Friends but about 1863 joined the
Methodist Episcopal Church, to which his wife has
belonged for half a century-. Ever faithful to his
religious duties, the church suffered a loss at his
(leaili an<l in other good works his absence has also
bci'u keenl3' felt.

The temperance cause found in him one of its
strongest supporters and other enterprises for the
advancement of the community were sure of his

sympathy and co-operation. In his earlier years,
in politics he was a Whig but on the organization
of the Republican party joined in its ranks. His
death occurred March 26, 1889, and was the occa-
sion of deep regret on the part of a large circle of
friends and acquaintances.

Mrs. Moorman is still living on the old home-
stead, of which she owns eighty acres, together with
ninety acres in Locust Grove Township, the whole
yielding her a good income which places her in
comfortable circumstances. Like her husband she
delights in doing good, her life abounds in deeds
of charity and benevolence and her manj' excellent
qualities make her greatly beloved.

.^^|<^f..^

IRAM BARNES is a retired farmer and
honored citizen of Birmingham, Van Buren
/li^^ County. Known to many throughout the
id^) county, and held in the highest esteem by
all, his sketch will be received with interest by
many of our readers. His birthplace is in Harri-
son County, Ohio, and the date on which he first
opened his eyes to the light, March 18, 1818. He is
a son of James A. Barnes and a grandson of Leon-
ard Barnes, who was probably a native of Ireland.
From Maryland he removed to Ohio, where he
spent the remainder of his life engaged in farming.
James Barnes was born in the Buckeye State, and
on reaching the age of twenty-one married Miss
Elizabeth Barnett, also a native of (Jhio. Her
father was a Frenchman and her mother's people
belonged to the Society of Friends. Mr. Barnes
improved a new farm after his marriage, and later
moved from Tuscarawas County to Holmes County,
where he resided some four years. It was in 1839
that he first set foot upon Iowa soil. Crossing the
Mississii)pi, he continued his journey to Van Buren
County and made a location about a mile south of
Birmingham, where he entered one hundred and
twenty acres of land. After building a log cabin,
he began the improvement of a farm, while the
family lived in true pioneer style. He was called

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

449

upon to mourn the loss of his wife in 1862, and
ten years later his death occurred. Manj' of the
comforts of civilized life had been added to their
home before that time, and a highly cultivated
farm supplied tiieir wants. He was a stalwart
Rei)ublican in political sentiment, and Mrs. Barnes
was a faithful member of the Methodist Church.
'I'iieir family numbered thirteen children, of whom
the following grew to mature 3'ears — Matilda, who
was married and died in Ohio; Hiram, of this
sketch; Barnett, who was killed in California while
in his own cabin; Reason, Sarah and Albert, who
aie residents of Califoiiiia; .James, who served in
the Third Iowa Cavahy during the late war and
thereby lost his ej'esight; Harriet and Elizabeth,
who are also living in the Golden State.

The days of his boyhood and youth, Hiram
Barnes spent in the State of his nativity, where he
also served an apprenticeship to the carpenter's
trade. He came with Ids family' to the Territory
of Iowa when twentj--one j'ears of age, and re-
mained under the parental roof until 1846, in which
year his marriage with Hannah B. Loomis was cele-
brated. The Ipdy is a native of Ohio, and a daugh-
ter of William and Sylvia Loomis. After his mar-
riage, Mr. Barnes purchased land lying partly in
Birmingham, and on the lot where stands their
present residence he and his wife began their do-
mestic life. He devoted his attention to farming
until 1850, when, attracted by the discovery of
gold in California, he crossed the plains with three
brothers and spent uearl3' two years in the northern
mines. Again returning home, he resumed his in-
terrupted farming labors, and in adilition. en-
gaged in the livery business, but in 1861, on ths
breaking out of the late war. he laid down the im-
[dements of peaceful occupation and marched away
to the front.

Mr. Barnes enlisted in Companj- H. Third Iowa
Cavalry, and when the regiment was organized
was made First Lieutenant of his company, in
which position he served two j'ears, when he re-
ceived his discharge on account of failing health.
The service of the regiment was arduous, being
mostly warfare against the guerrillas. He had com-
mand of his coropany during tiie greater part of
the time as the Captain was old and unable to

take the lead. The principal engagement occurred
at Kiiksville, Mo., but he |)artici[)ated > in many
skirmishes.

Returning to his home, Mr. Barnes again took
up farming and the livery business, which latter he
followed for thirty years. He is still the owner of
one hundred and fifteen acres of land lying partly
within the corporation limits of Birmingham, but
to a gieat extent he has laid aside all business care
and is resting in the enjoyment of the fruits of
former toil. Unto JNIr. and Mrs. Barnes have been
born six children, 3'et living — Louisa, widow of
W. J. Hale, has two children and is living in Bir-
mingham, near her parents; W. A. is a farmer of
Warren County, Iowa, and a graduate of the Com-
mercial College, of Keokuk; Belle, wife of Abe
Kirkpatrick, is living in California; Virginia is the
wife of Horace McCormick, of Des Moines, who is
connected with the famous agricultural implement
manufactory; Mary is the wife of B. V. Loomis,
of Kansas; and lola is with her parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have a charming home in
Birmingham, where the}' are surrounded with all
the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. He
has served as Maj'or of that city and is an honored
member of the Old Settlers Society. He cast his
first Presidential ballot for AV'illiam Henry Harri-
son, and the last vote up to this time for Benjamin
Harrison, the illustrious grandson of the Tip|)e-
canoe hero. More than half a century has passed
aw.ay since Mr. Barnes came to this county. Time
and the citizens of the community have brought
many changes, effacing many of the old landmarks
but putting in their places structures which show
the enterprise of its settlers.

»-*-^ ^

AV. STEWART, a farmer and slock- raiser
of Polk Township, Jefferson County, resid-
ing on section 27,claims Ohio as the State of
J his nativity, his birth linving occurred in
Richland County in 1831>. In a family of four
children he was the eldest and the parents were

450

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Samuel and VA\zti (Fletulier) Stewart, tlic former a
native of Ohio, and the latter of Virginia. They
were married in the Buckeye State, whore Mr.
Stewart continued his farming operations until
18.51, when lie moveil with his family to Van Biiren
County, Iowa, and purchased a partially improved
farm. Four years later, however, he left the West
and made a location in Fauquier County, Va., where
he carried on agricultural pursuits uutd his death,
which occurred in 1862. His wife continued there
to reside until she also received the final summons,
her death occurring in F'ebruary, 1876. There are
one son and two daughters of the family yet living,
the daughters being Mrs. Elizabeth Swain, of Fair-
field and Mvs. Maranda Huff, of Orleans, Neb.

The son. whose name heads this sketch, spent his
boyhood days in Ohio, Iowa and Virginia. He was
a lad of twelve years when he left his native State
and became a resident of Van Buren County, Iowa,
and at the age of lifteen years we find him with his
parents, living in Fauquier County, ^'a., where he
attained to man's estate. His time was spent in a
manner not unlike that of most farmer lads and af-
ter attaining his majority, he embarked in farming
for himself. lie was married in F\auquier County,
Va,. in 1867. to Miss Elizabeth M. Case, a native
(jf Ohio and a daughter of Adam and Margaret
(Stewart) Case. Her fiither was born in New Jer-
sey and her mother in Ohio. He came to Jeffer-
son County, Iowa, in 1855, and for some j-ears
engaged in merchandising in Fairfield, where he
ranked among the leading business men. His death
occurred in January, 1873. He took quite an ac-
tive part in political affairs, supporting the Repub-
lican party and was an influenti.al citizen in the
community. His wife died the year of their re-
moval to this county.

Mr. Stewart continued his farming operations in
Virginia until '1876, when he too came to Fair-
field. He spent the winter in that city and the fol-
lowing spring purchased an improved farm of
one hundred and sixty acres. That quarter sec-
tion is now one of the most highly improved in the
township. Everything necessary to a model farm
may there be seen; it is provided with good build-
ings and the home with its entire surroundings
gives evidence of the capability and industry of

him who has its operation in charge. The home is
blessed with the presence of seven children, four
sons and three daughters, as follows: Frank,
M.adge, Charles, Edward, George. Ilattie and
Helen. The parents are both members of the
Methodist F^piscopal Cliurch, of Abingdon, and to
all social, moral and educational interests, l\Ir.
Stewart is a warm friend. As a member of tlie
School Board, he has done efficient service for ed-
ucation b3' advancing the grade of schools and pro-
viding teachers who are capable of discharging the
duties of the profession. As every true Ameri-
can citizen should do, he feels and manifests an in-
terest in political affairs and casts his ballot for the
Republican party.

^^^;^^^^;^}<^-

WILL HASTINGS, a farmer and stock-raiser
of Van Buren County, owns two hundred
^ „ and forty-two acres of valuable land, his
home being situated on section 27. Union Town-
ship, where he devotes himself with unremitting
zeal to the interests of his business, whereliy he
has become one of the substantial citizens of the
community.

In Hardin County, Ohio, on the 23d of Novem-
ber, 1844, he was born, and is a son (jf J(jhn C. and
Jane (Plew) Hastings. Mis father was a native of
County Antrim. Ireland, and when nineteen years
of age came to this country, locating in Hardin
County, Ohio, where he married Miss Plew, who
was horn near Meadsville, Pa., and emigrated to
the Buckej^e State with her parents in girlhood.
She died in Hardin County, in 1846, leaving our
subject, an only child. Subsequently Mr. Hastings
chose as a second wife Mary E. Purdom, of Van
Buren County, whither he had removed in 1861.
He made his fii'st settlement in the eastern part of
the county, but later purchased the farm upon
which our subject now resides. He became an in-
fluential citizen of the community, and several
times represented Cedar Township on the Board of
County Supervisors. He followed the occupation

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

451

of farming in pursuit of fortune, and iiis efforts
being successful, lie secured a linndsome eouipe-
teiice. lie had very little capital on coming to this
county, but he was a shrewd financier, and taking
no undue advantage of anyone himself, he did not
allow any one to overreach him. Though he loaned
money, he never had occasion to sue any one, nor
was he ever sued. Prompt to pay his debts, he
was honorable and fair in all his dealings, and his
word was as good as his bond. He was decided in
his views and outspoken, but made no enemies, for
his motives were sincere. He was full of life and
humor, and the guests of his hospitable home were
sure of a hearty welcome.

As before stated, our subject was the only child
of this worthy pioneer. His primary education
was supplemented by a course in the higher
schools, and at the age of nineteen years he began
teaching, which vocation he followed through
about eighteen terms, spent only in two districts.
Certainly a higher testimonial of his ability and
faitlifulness could not be given. He was for many
terms Principal of the Winchester schools, and in
1880 he was elected County Superintendent of
Van Buren County, although the county has three
hundred Republican majority and he is a pro-
nounced Democrat, a fact which indicates his
popularity, which is due not only to his genial and
affable raanner,but to his fitness for the position. So
ably did he fill the office that he was re-elec-
ted in 1882. Later he was nominated by the
Democratic convention for the position of County
Clerk, but was not elected owing to the lack of
party strength. He has been Clerk and is now
Treasurer of the Township School Board, and was
Township Clerk for some five years.

Mrs. Hastings was, in her maidenhood. Miss
Addie Kerr, who was born in Union Township,
Van Buren County, and was a daughter of Chris-
topher Kerr. Unto them has been born one child,
Birdie, who died at the age of one year, and a
month later the mother was also laid to rest. At
Meadsville, Pa., on the 1st of October, 1889, Mr.
Hastings wedded Miss Cora Dunson, of Hardin
County, Ohio, who is a member of the Methodist
Church and a most estimable lady. He is recog-
nized as one of the leading men of the township.

In addition to the cultivation of his farm of two
hundred ar.d forty-two acres, he has served as
President of the Cheese and Butter Company since
its organization, and has done not a little business
in the way of selling estates. The business ability
of his father descended to him, and with like energy
and perseverance be has pressed forward, thus be-
coming one of the well-to-do citizens of the county.
To say that Mr. Hfistings is popular would hardly
express the public feeling toward him, for in addi-
tion to his popularity there is a warm friendship
everywhere manifested combined with respect and
esteem for one who for thirty-two years has made
his home among them.

^p^EORGE D. CLARKE, is engaged in the
1| g— . drug business in Fairfield, Iowa, and is a
^glil representative of Jefferson County's enter-
prising citizens. He was born in Mt. Pleasant,
Henry County, on the ISih of January, 18,53, being
a son of Dr. Charles S. and Sarah L. Clarke, whose
sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Our sub-
ject came to Fairfiehl with his parents in 1857,
when but four years of age. He attended the city
schools in his earl}^ youth and was a student for
three years in the State Univei'sity of Iowa. He
began his business career in his father's drug store
at Fairfield, and, having obtained a knowledge of
the business, was in 1875 admitted to partnership,
the firm being G. S. Clarke & Son. On the death
of his father in March, 1882, he succeeded to the
business and for the ensuing fire years conducted it
alone, or until 1887, when H. G. Junken became
associated with him as a partner and the firm name
was changed to Clarke & Junken. This is the old-
est established drug house in the city as well as one
of the most important and popular in public esti-
mation.

In Fairfield, on the 22nd of May, 4879, Mr.
Clarke was married, the lady of his choice being
Miss Etta Montgomery, daughter of William Mont-
gomery. Mrs. Clarke was born in Jefferson County,

452

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Iowa, and is ri member of the Fairfield Presbyterian
Churcli. One child, a daugliter, Helen May, graces
their union.

Mr. Clarke takes considerable interest in civic
societies and is an honored member of the Masonic
and Knights of Pythias fraternities, holding mem-
bership in Clinton Lodge, No. 15, A. F. & A. M.
and Forest City Lodge, No. 37, K. P. In his po-
litical affiliations, he is a Ivepiiblican and has faith-
fully served for one term in the City Council and
is now serving his second term as City Treasurer,
which fact well indicates his popularity and abilit}'.
lie w.as one of the organizers of the Iowa State
Savings Bank and is a member of its first board of
directors. Mr. Clarke is a skilled pharmacist, a
courteous gentleman and ,'in acknowledged leader
in his line of business.

brated in Milton. She was a daughter of Benjamin
Bennett, and her birth occurred in Keosauqua,
where lier parents were early settlers. She died
April 13, 1890, leaving one child, a son, Mark
Leonard, who was born September 23, 1888.

-^^

f;AMES B. ROBINSON, an undertaker and
I <lealer in furniture, of Milton, claims the
j honor of being a native of Van Buren

^Jj County. He was born in Winciiester, Union
Township, on the 2d of December, 18.55, and is a
son of John A. and Ella .]. (Smith) Robinson,
worthy pioneers of the county, a sketch of wdiom is
given elsewhere in this volume.

(nir subject received a liberal education in his
youth, his literary training being received in the
Keosauqua High School and at the Birmingham
Academ}'. He then ventured upon the study of
medicine, and took two courses at the Keokuk
Medical College, but not finding the [irofession to
his taste, he did not complete the course of study.
He established his present business in Milton in
1888, and is the proprietor of the only undertaking
and furniture establishment in the city. He has
built up a good trade and is doing a successful
business. In politics lie is a supporter of Repub-
lican principles, but has never sought or desired
the honors or emoluments of public office.

On the nth of January, 1888, Mr. Robinson led
to the altar Miss Ida Bennett, the union being cele-

E^N^

J. STONER, a well-to-do farmer and sheep
herder residing on section 22, Fairfield
Township, Jefferson Countj', was born in
Ashland County, Ohio, September 22,1850-
Little is known concerning the early history of the
faEily. His father was a native of Lancaster
Count}-, Pa., and was of German descent. When
a lad of fourteen years his parents emigrated west-
ward, settling in Ohio when that State was thought
to be almost on the borders of civilization. He
was there reared and on attaining to man's estate
was joined in wedlock with Miss Almira Parsons,
who was born in Connecticut and whose people
belonged to an old New England family. Their
union was blessed with four children, three of whom
are yet living. R. J., the subject of this sketch, is
tlie eldest; Emma died while a student in Knox
College, of Galesburg, 111.; Nettie makes her home
with her mother; and Charles E., is a practicing
physician of Altoona, Polk Count}', Iowa. He
married Miss Nettie Neil, who belongs to a pioneer
family of Jefferson Count}'. Aliraham Stoner, ac-
companied by wife and children hade good-bye to
Asliland County, Ohio, in 1865, and made his way
to Jefferson County, finally locating upon a farm
which is now the i)roperty of our subject. A man
of strict integrity, upright in all his dealings, he
won tiie respect of all who knew him and at his
death in June, 1888, much sorrow was felt not only
by his immediate family but by a large circle of
friends and acquaintances. He lived the life of a
consistent Christian, being a member of the Con-
gregational Churcli to wiiich his widow also belongs.
She now makes her home with her eldest son.

Until fifteen years of age, our subject remained
in the county of his nativity where he acquired

PORTRALT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

453

his primary education in tlie district suliools of tlie
neighhuriiood. After locating in Jefferson County
he pursued a year's course of study in the Wes-
leyan University, of Mt. Pleasint,wliicli completed
his school life. At the age of twenty-one years
he entered upon his business career and in tiie same
fall took upon himself the care of a home. He
was united in marriage witli Miss Anna Hampson,
who was born in Fairfield and is a daughter of E.
C. and Margaret (Beatty) Hampson. Three years
after their marri.age, they settled upon the farm
which has since been their home and where Mr.
Stoner is yet actively engaged in agricultural pur-
suits. Tiie well cultivated fields and the s|ilendid
improvements which he has made upon the two
hundred and forty acres of land that pay tribute
to his care and labor, are indications to a passer-by
of his thrift and energy, wliile as a sheep-herder
he stands in the front rank among the stock-raisers
in Jefferson County. He keeps on liand about four
hundred head of a good grade of sheep, together
with twenty head of horses and a good grade of
hogs. He also makes a specialty of tiie raising of
clover seed. By the census enumerator's valuation
we learn tliat Mr. Stoner's farm, including personal
propertj- and real estate, is rated at about iS5,600
and the greater i)art of his possessions have been
acquired through his own effort.

B. KENYON, the owner of a fine farm of
one hundred and twenty acres on section 15,
<^ \\\ Polk Township, was reared to farm life and
^hasmade that his occupation througliout the
years of his manhood. He claims an honor of
which few can boast, that of being a native of Jef-
ferson County. His father, James Kenyon, was
born on the Isle of Man and when a lad of five
summers was brought by his parents to America.
Growing to manliood, he was married in Ohio, to
Miss Jane Tier, a native of London, P^ngland, and
in IS-ie, they came to the new State of Iowa, locat-

ing in Fairfield, Jefferson County. Mr. Kenyon
was a mason by trade and in Fairfield foliovved that
occupation witli gooil success for several years or
until 1869, when he removed to a farm near the
city. He was a respected citizen, one wortliy the
esteem of his fellow-men and his death proved a
loss to the community. He was called to his final
rest in 1880, and his wife passed away in 187G. At
the time of their deaths they resided in Polk Town-
ship. Their family numbered four children, of
whom R. B., of this sketch, is the eldest; William
is now married and resides in O'Brien County,
Iowa; Anna died in 18C1; and Theopholis is mar-
ried and makes his home In Polk Township, where
he carries on farming.

The year in which our subject was born is 1847.
His early life was spent in the usual manner of
farmer lads and he acquired a good practical edu-
cation in the schools of Polk Township and Fair-
field. Although only seventeen years of age, in
I8tj t, in Abingdon, he enlisted in the late war for
three years service or until the close of hostilities,
and was assigned to Com|)auy D, Nineteenth Iowa
Infantry. The regiment became a part of the
Department of the (Julf and with his command,
Mr. Kenyon participated in tlie siege and capture
of Spanish Fort, the battle of Mobile, Good's
Plantation and the engagement at Ft. Gaines, to-
gether witli numerous skirmishes. When the war
was oyer, he was honorably discharged from the
service at New Orleans on the 20th of August,
186."), and at once returned to the North.

On again reaching his native county, Mr. Kenyon
returned to the parental home and assisted his
father In his farming operations for several years.
On the 12th of October, 1876, he was united in
the holy bonds of matrimony with Miss Mary
Cline, a native of Ohio, and daughter of William
and Rebecca Cline. Her parents were also born
in the Buckeye State and came to Jefferson
County at an early d.ay. Both are now deceased.
The young couple began their domestic life in
Polk Township and four children came to gladden
the home with their presence, two sons and two
daughters: William Edward, Anna Jane, Nora
DoHie and Lewis Earle. The family circle yet re-
mains unbroken.

454

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

As stated in tlie beginning of this slvetcli, Mr.
Kenj'on is the owner of a good farm of one hun-
dred and twenty acres wliose cultivated flehis,
good grades of stock, outbuildings and tasty resi-
dence give evidence of the thrift, industry and
good management of the owner. He is regarded
as one of the progressive and representative farm-
ers of the township and stands in the front rank
among its leading citizens. In political sentiment
he is a Republican, always casting his vote with
that party, yet has never sought or desiied the
honors or emoluments of public office, preferring
to devote his time and attention to his business
interests. He has however served as Township
Clerk and has acted upon the School Board several
terms, being interested in the cause of education.
He himself is a well-informed mau and desires that
his children will be thus fitted for the duties of
life. As a pioneer, he has witnessed almost the
entire growth of the county from its infanc}' and
knows what it is to share in the difficulties and
hardships incident to the setiling upon a frontier.

""§f=^''"*

, RLIN II. GILLETT is a representative of one
of the pioneer families of Jefferson County.
His home is now on section 20, Polk Town-
ship, and comprises a portion of the land which his
father claimed forty-three years ago. The mem-
bers of the famil3- have been prominently connected
with the history of the county and have done not a
little for the advancement of its interests and the
promotion of its leading enterprises. Es|)eeially
have the3' been connected with the dovelopement
of the wild land, several hundred acres of the raw-
prairie or unbroken timber being placed under the
plow by father and sons. L. T. Gillelt, the father
of the family, was born in Connecticut and spent
the first sixteen years of his life in that State. He
then started out to make his own way in the world
and entered upon his business career as a traveling
salesman, selling clocks. Por a number of years
he followed that pursuit, during which time he

visited most of the Eastern and IMiddle States. In
his journeyings lie reached Knox County, 111., and
being placed with the county and its future pros-
pects made there a location, becoming owner of a
tract of land upon which the village of Knoxville
is located. It was in Knox County that he formed
the acquaintance of and wedded Miss Elzan Riley,
a native of Indiana, whose parents were pioneers of
Knox County. Her father served in the Black
Hawk War with the rank of Major.

Mr. and Mrs. Gillett continued to make their
home in Illinois until the spring of 1843, wlien
thinking to better their financial condition the}'
crossed the Father of Waters into Iowa and made a
settlement in Polk Township, Jefferson County.
Mr. Gillett was a roan of more than ordinary abil-
ity and a most successful farmer. He at one time
owned one thousand acres of land in this county
and ere his death, which occurred in August, 1S70,
he had improved over six hundred acres of land.
He took an active part in everything that pertained
to the welfare of the community and it was
through his instrumentality that the first school-
house in Polk Township was built. His fellow citi-
zens, appreciating his worth and abilitj-, frequent-
ly called upon him to serve in positions of public
trust for being acquainted with his upright charac-
ter they knew that the duties would ever be faith-
fully discharged. He was untiring in his efforts
to promote the general welfare and his death
proved a sad loss to the community. Mrs. Gillett
is still living and makes her home with her chil-
dren.

The familj' of this worth}' couple numbered thir-
teen children, eleven of whom grew to manhood and
woiraiihood, while nine are yet living — Ellen is
the wife of Edwin Stockton, of Illinois; Penelope
became the wife of J. B. McCoy and died at Mt.
Pleasant, Iowa.; James G. died at the age of
twenty-three, his death caused by the kick from a
horse. He served in the late war as a member of
Company I, Second Iowa Infantry; O. H. of this
sketch is the next younger; Eliza J. is the wife of
J. Pollock, of Lincoln, Neb.; Z. T. is a resident
farmer of Polk Township; Janet is the wife of
William Wells, of the same township; William R.
is a farmer of Dickenson County, Iowa; John R.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

455

makes his home in Davis C'ouniv, 5Io. ; Edwanl is
engaged in mei-ehanilising in Holyoke, CoL, wliere
Lester T., tlie youngest of the family, is also liv-
ing.

O. II. Gillett, whose name heads this sketch,
has spent his entire life in tliis 'jounty, iiis birth
oocurring on the old iiomestead in Polk Township,
in 1844. He acquired such education as the dis-
trict schools of that day afforded and at tiie age of
twenty-two began life for liimself, renting a part
of ills father's land. He is now the owner of a
good farm of one hundred and sixty acres, this
tract forming a portion of tliat which his father
entered in 1843. As it was entirely unimproved,
he had to break and plow the land before planting
crops. In fact it was entirely developed by him
and is a monument to his industry and enterprise.
The owner tiioroughly understands his business — a
fact which is indicated by a glance at the liighly
cultivated fields and well kept Itarns. In addition
to the raising of crops lie deals quite extensively
in improved grades of farm stock, his annual ship-
ments being quite large.

In 1867, Mr. Gillett led to the marriage altar
Miss Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Henry and
Mary J. (Harper) Moore. Her parents were na-
tives of the Emerald Isle and Mrs. Gillett was born
in Ohio. By their union were born eight children
yet living and two now deceased. Those who still
survive are Nevada, Flaval O., Marj-, Bertha,
Maggie, Ray, May and Iva. Mrs. Gillett was for-
merly a member of the Methodist P^piscopal Church
and a lady held in high regard for her many ex-
cellencies of character. Mr. Gillett is a member
of the Farmers' Alliance and in political sentiment
is a stalwart supporter of tlie Democracy, taking
an active interest in all that pertains to its welfare.
He has served on the central committee and is an
influential member of his party in local circles.
Almost constantly for a number of years lie has
served as a member of the .School Board and has
done effective service for the cause of education.
A friend to all wortliy enterprises he lias aided in
the upbuilding and advancement of the community
and has been a liberal supporter of charitable and
benevolent institutions. Altliough not a church
member, his donations to the chuich are not small

and financially he has aided greatly in its growth.
He ranks among tiie best citizens of Polk Town-
ship, is one of its leading farmers and is an hon-
ored pioneer of Jefferson County who is well
worthy a pl.ice in the volume of its history.

OSEPII WILLIAMSON, deceased, is num-
bered among the honored pioneers of Van
Buren County, Iowa. He located in the
county in 1835. when it formed a part of
the Territory of Michigan. The entire State was
then an almost uninhabited wilderness and gave lit-
tle promise of its present prosperity or of the ad-
vanced position which it to-day occu|iies in the
Union.

Mr. Williamson, a son of Francis and Eve (Mc-
Namar) Williamson, was born June 20, 1814, in
Scioto Count3-, Ohio, where the first twelve years
of his life were spent upon his father's farm. In
1826, he accompanied the family on their removal
from Ohio to Indiana, where he continued to reside
until 1835, when he journeyed westward, crossing
the Father of Water and set foot upon Iowa soil.
From that time until his death, he was identified
with the history of the State and especially with
the growth and advancement of Southeastern Iowa.
He aided in the erection of the first house in Farra-
ington and after a year returned to Indiana where,
on the 24th of July, 1836, he was united in mar-
riage with Hannah Lemming, who was born in
Knox County, Ohio, August 28, 1817. and is a
daughter of Elias and Deborah (Reed) Lemming,
who were natives of New Jerse}'. the former born
of Scotch parentage, while tke latter was of Irish
lineage.

About the time when Iowa was made a territory,
in 1838, Mr. Williamson and his wife removed to
tlie vicinity of Bonaparte where they resided until
1850, when they became residents of Davis County.
Twelve years later they removed to Van Buren
County, but in 1875, again became residents of
Davis County-, where Mr. Williamson died on

456

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the I'Jlh of August, 1889. He was a farmer by oc-
cupation and followed that business during the
greater part of his life. As a citizen, he occupied
a front rank among the progressive and influential
men of the community and his death proved a loss
to a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were horn eleven
children. John W., born in Indiana, died before
the walls of Vicksburg, on the 23rd of March,! 862,
while serving as a soldier of Company D, Thirtieth
Iowa Infantry; Francis M., was born October 10,
1838, and resides in Milton, claims to hav(! been
the first white child born in Van Buren County;
INIary A., is the wife of G. W. Rosser, of Colorado;
Ellen, is deceased; William H., is living in Van
Biuen County; Emily J., is deceased; Eva E., is
ll-.e wife of C. E. Archer and their home is in
Davis County; Martha J., is also deceased; Clara,
is the wife of W. F. F^dmondson, and the Postmis-
tress of Milton, Iowa; Sarah I. and Helen B. have
also passed away.

The mother of this family is still living and
makes her home in Van Buren County. .She is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a
most estimable lady.

-»-r»~

-5^i^-

<jf7 EWIS TRABERT still resides on the farm
I (?g) where he opened his eyes to the light of
JlL-^ day, Novembar 13, 1852. It is the Tra-
bert homestead, and is situated on section 15, Lock-
ridge Township, Jefferson Count}'. He is fifth in
a family of six children born unto John T. and
Mary B. (Harding) Trabert. His father was born
in Bavaria, Germany, May 12, 1810, and his peo-
ple were devoted to agricultural pursuits. At the
age of fifteen he began work as a farm hand,
which he continued until his emigration to America
in 1840. The four j'ears preceding bis arrival in
this countj' he worked as a day laborer in Pennsyl-
vania, and during that time married Miss Harding,
who was born in the same neighborhood with her
husband. In 1844 they came to the Territory of

Iowa, making a location in Lockridge Township,
and after a few years purchased eighty acres of
land constituting a portion of the farm where our
subject now resides. It was entirely unimproved,
but he built a log cabin and at once began clear-
ing, pre|)aratory to planting crops, which in the
course of time would yield him a living. Over-
coming the difficulties incident to frontier life, he
at length acquired a comfortable competence, and
at his death left his family in comfortable circum-
stances. His farm then comprised two hundred
and thirty-six acres of arable land, upon which was
a comfortable home, good barne and all other
necessary improvements.

He died on the 11th of Februar)% 1875, in the
faith of the Lutheran Church, of which he was
long a member. In connection with his property
ho left to his family a priceless heritage — a good
name. Mrs. Trabert still survives her husband and
makes her home with her children, five sons and
one daugiiters — George, the eldest, born December
31, 1842, is a miller, of Griswold, Iowa; Andrew,
born October 2, 1844, is a farmer, residing near
Stanton, Iowa; John, born December 31, 1845, is a
resident farmer, of Milford, Neb.; Anna M. died
August 21, 1852, when three years of age; Lewis
is the next younger; and Henry, born September
13, 1854, died February 19, 1876.

The early life of our subject passed unevent-
fully, his time being taken up with the farm labor
usually allotted to young lads and by attendance
at the district schools of the neighborhood where
he acquired his education. Soon after his father's
death he married Miss Annas Sophia Schmidt-
lein, who is a representative of one of the pioneer
families of Lockridge Township. He then pur-
chased the interest of tlie other heirs in the old
homestead farm where they began their domestic
life and have since continued to reside. Their
union has been blessed with two children, a son and
daughter — Frank A., born March 30, 1878, and
Mary Barbara, born August 29, 1880.

Mr. Trabert is numbered among the intelligent
young citizens of the county, and his progressive
ideas have won him a foremost place in the ranks
of its leading farmers. In his political affiliations
he is a stalwart Democrat, as was his father before

^v,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

459

him. He cast his first Presidential vote for Tilden
and lias never wavered in his allegiance to the
party, but has given liis support and inauence for
its welfare, and lias frequently represented his
township in the county conventions. Buth lie and
his wife are faithful members of tlie Lutheran
Church. They are respected by all who know them,
their fricnds.are many throughout the community,
and they arc welcomed to the best homes where
worth and al)ility are the passports.

''*^^R. WH.LIAM F. GRUBB is the oldest prac-
ticing pliysician of Farniington, Iowa, in
years of service, having opened an oflice and
embarked in the prosecution of his profession at
this place in 181'J. He was born in Morgan County,
Ohio, July 23, 1823, and received liis literary edu-
cation ill the common schools of the neigliborliood.
When a young man of eighteen years, in 1841, he
accompanied his father to the Territory of Iowa,
and for a year engaged in farming, but the medical
profession offered attractions for him, and believ-
ing that it would prove congenial as a life work,
he entered upon the studj^ of the same under the
direction of Dr. H. II. Little, of McConiiellsvillo,
Ohio. In March, 1847, he was granted the degree
of M. D., and immediately afterward opened an
oflice in McConnellsville, Ohio, where he practiced
for about a year. He then made a location in Ath-
ens, Clark County, Mo., but after about twelve
months spent in that place, he came to Farming-
ton, where he has since been engaged in active prac-
tice with the exception of six years siient on the
Pacific Slope. In 1851, he went to California,
where he followed his chosen work among the min-
ers who had flocked to that State in vast numbers af-
ter the discovery of gold. Returning by way of the
Isthmus of Panama, in 1857, he again reaclie<l \'an
Buren County, and through the succeeding years
has administered to the sick and suffering of the
community. It was not long before his abililv
won recognition by liberal patronage, and he re-

ceived calls for miles around throughout the sur-
rounding country. A man of progressive and
enterprising ideas, he still keeps abreast with any
new discoveries or experiments connected with his
profession. He has been a life student of medicine
and stands in the front ranks of the leading prac-
titioners of Southeastern Iowa.

The Doctor assisted in organizing the first Allo-
pathic Society in Iowa, wliieh convened at Burling-
ton. In political sentiment he is a Jelifersonian
Democrat, but has never sought public preferment,
having served only in the position of health otliccr.
Socially-, the Doctor is a Knight Tem])lar, and a
member of the Modern Woodmen of America. For
a number of years past, he has devoted much time
and attention to the study of astronomy, and i)rob
ably no man in the State is better informed regard-
ing that science than he.

-^~#

W^ALTER W. GRUBB, one of the prominent
and honored pioneers of Van Buren County,
now deceased, was born in Brandy wine
Hundred, Del., October 25, 1798, and died at his
home in Clark Count}, Mo., near Faiiningtou, in
1 874, at the age of seventy-six years. Widely and
favorably known throughout the community, his
death was the occasion of deep regret on the | ail
of man}' friends.

The Grubb famil}' is of English origin, and wns
founded in America about 1C82, by John Grubb.
who emigrated from his native hnul to America,
locating along the banks of the Delaware River, at
what is now known as Grubb's Landing, which
place was named in his honor. It was then a jiart
of the Colony of Pennsylvania. Emanuel Giuliii,
son of John Grubb, was the first white child born
of English iiarentage on the Delaware sIhhc.

Our subject was of the fifth generation from the
American progenitor. He acquired a good educa-
tion in his youth, and then went to Philatielpiiia,
where he secured a position as salesman in one of
leading stores in that city. In 1821, he led to the
marriage altar Miss Margaret Richey, who was born

460

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

on the 22(1 of March, 1800, and the}' became par-
ents of four children, two sons and two daughters,
naniel}-: Dr. William Ford, whose sketch appears
elsewhere in this volume; Lydia A., who became
the wife of Jacob Archer, of Birmingham, and died
at her home in this county; James R., who died
in California, in 1852, and Elizabelli C, wife of J.
R. Tewksbury, of Ft. Madison, Iowa,

For some twenty j'ears after their marriage, Mr.
and Mrs. Grubb made their homo in Ohio. The
year 1841 wit^iessed their emigration to the Terri-
tory of Iowa, and in Birmingham, Van Buren
County they made ft location, but the country was
then wild and unsettled, and the}' soon afterward re-
turned to Ohio, whither they had removed soon af-
ter their marriage. Eight years then passed, years
in which great changes were made in Van Buren
County, and at the end of that time. Mr. Grubb,
accompanied b}' iiis f.amily. returned to Iowa. Tliis
time he made a settlement in Farmington, where he
spent the remainder of his life. He was a wortiiy
and esteemed citizen, and an upright honest man.
He never aspired to prominence in any direction,
preferring to pursue the even tenor of his way,
quietly discharging the duties of citizenship, and
faithfully caring for his family. He was always a
stanch supporter of Democratic principles, and af-
ter coming to Farmington, was honored by an ap-
pointment as Postmaster of the city, which posi-
tion he filled creditabl}' and acceptably for eight
years. Mr. and Mrs. Grubb traveled life's journey
together as man and wife for fifty-three years, when
in 1874 the marriage tie was broken by the hand
of death, and the husband passed to his last rest.
The loved wife survived him some thirteen j-ears,
when in 1 887 she too was called to her final home.

,^^^m^^

SA GOODIN was born in Ohio, in 1816,
and the family is of German descent. In

his native State he was reared to manhood

and received such educational advantages as the
schools of that day afforded. Having attained to
mature years, in 1837 he led to the marriage altar

Miss Rachel Smith, who was also a native of the
Buckeye State. They began their domestic life in
Ohio, but after seven years determined to try their
fortune in the West and in 1844 we find them en
route for Iowa. They chose Farmington, tlien a
small village, as a favorable location, but the fol-
lowing year removed to Lee County where Mr.
Goodin remained until the death of his wife which
there occurred in 18o0. Two cliildren were born
of that union — William, and Mary, wife of John
Lightfoot. Mr. Goodin was again married in
1853, the lady of his choice being Caroline Mc-
Ehamy. They became the parents of five children
who are yet living — KUa, Kdward, Ida, Alfred and
Charles.

During his residence in this count}', Mr. Goodin
followed teaming. He made his liome in this
community from 1844 until 1867, when severing
his business relations he removed to Knoxville,
Marion County, Iowa, making his home in that
community for some time. He then again came to
Van Buren County and settled in Farmington,
where he spent the remainder of bis life. He died
in 1889, respected by all who knew him. One of
its pioneer settlers, he had witnessed almost the
entire growth of the county and was acquainted
with its history of progress and development. He
faithfully discharged every duty of citizenship and
whenever called upon to ai<l in the promotion of
any worthy enterprise, cheerfully responded.

AMES R. CLARK owns two hundred acres
of the rich farming land of Van Buren
County, embracing a portion of section 7,
Des Moines Township. Since the autumn
of 1841 he has made his home in the community —
a period in which many ch.nnges have occurred,
bringing prosperity to him and to the county. He
emigrated from Ohio, the State of his nativity,
his bii'th having occurred in Green County in 1834.
The family is of Irish origin. The paternal grand-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

•IBl

father, Wilhatn Clark, was a native of Ireland,
and emigrated to this coLintry about the time
of the Revolutionary War, settling in Virginia,
whence lie removed with his family about the year
1830 to Indiana, nliere he and his wife spent thtir
last days. Their son, Samuel, was born in \W-
ginia, but in liis youth went to Maryland, where
he became acquainted with and married Miss
Elizabetli Re^'nolds, their union being celebrated
in 182-t. The lady was a native of Washington
County, Md.. and a daughter of Maj. Reynolds,
who procured his title during the War of 1812.
He was taken captive by the Indians while on his
way down the Ohio River, together with his parents,
who were kept prisoners for some six years. He,
however, succeeded in making his escape and re-
turned to Maryland, where he spent the remainder
of his life.

Eight years after their marriage in 1832, Mr.
and Mrs. Clark emigrated to Ohio, making a loca-
tion in Green County, where they continued to
reside until, following the course of emigration,
which was steadily drifting westward, they located
in Van Buren County, Iowa, in 1841. Mr. Clark
was a preacher of the Methodist faith and traveled
as an itinerant minister thrcjughout Jefferson, Lee.
Henry, Des Moines, Davis, ^'an Buren and other
counties. He thus formed an extensive acquaint
ance and made many warm friends who admired
and respected him for his sterling worth and up-
right Christian character. At one time, in May,
1842, he engaged in a debate with Abner Knee-
land, a renowned infidel of Van Buren County.
He spoke for three hours, and in that time com-
pletely dethroned infidelit}- in this community.
His death occurred on the 9tli of January, 18-57, at
the age of fifty-seven 3'ears, and his wife, a most
estimable lady, died in Mahaska County some years
later. This worthy couple were the parents of
nine children, and eight of the number became
residents of Iowa, namely — John, who was a
physician and surgeon of Mt. Sterling, and died in
Van Buren County in 1884; George II., a resident
of Mahaska County; Allen T., who married and
makes his home in Oregon; Mrs. Mary Pettit. of
Chequest Township, Van liuren County; J. R., of
this sketch, who is fifth in order of birth; Mrs.

Elizabeth Manville, of Colorado; Samuel M., who
who is married and resides in Keokuk, where he
publishes a paper, and Mrs. Acha Hitchcock, now
of Crawford County, Kan.

Reared to farm life, James R. Clark has followed
that occupation throughout the ^ears of his man-
hood. He was a lad of seven summers when he
came to Van Buren Count}', and in' the schools of
this community, and at Nevv London and West
I\)int, Iowa, he acquired a good English educa-
tion. He assisted in the labors of the home fai m
until twenty-five j'cars of age, when he began lifi^
for himself. He was married near Milton, Iowa,
in 1869, to Miss Eudora Wright, a native of Van
Buren County, and a daughter of John R. and
Susan (Lowman) Wright, who were natives of
Pennsylvania and Maryland respectively. In
March, 1839, her father reached Iowa, and shortly
afterwards came to Van Buren Countj-, where in
Harrisburg Township in 1840, he was married, lie
was a brickmason and contractor, and for some
years did a flourishing business in Keosauqua.
His death occurred in Jackson Township, A'an
Buren County, April 30, 1874, in the sixty-first
year of his age, and his wife survived him just one
year, dying ou the 30th of April, 187.5. He took
quite an active part in politics during the eai ly
history of the county, and was honored with an
election to the General Assembly in 1872, being
the candidate of the Republican party, the incis-
ures and principles of which he strongly advocated.

Soon after his marriage, Mr. Clark settled u|h)ii
a farm in Des Moines Township, which he still
owns. This he inherited from his father, and with
that as a beginning, he has become through indus-
try, perseverance and good management, one of
the well-to-do citizens of the community. He also
takes an active interest in politics and votes with
the Republican party. He has been sent as a delo-
ffate to the county. State and Congressional con-
ventions, and his opinions carry weight with them
in these assemblies. He is a man of prominence
and influence in the county, and one who is Ile^ cr
backward in supporting any worthy enteipi iso by
voice, money or vote. He has lived in the county
for many years, and is acquainted with till of its
needs. With pi ide he has watched its growth and

462

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

aided in its progress. His memory goes b.ick to
the days wlien Alexandria, Mo., was the nearest
raarlvel; later they went to Keokuk for tUeir sup-
plies, until the railroad facilities brought all
needed articles, comforts and luxuries to Keosau-
qua and other near |)oints.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark are the parents of four chil-
dren, two sons and two daughters. Samuel M..
the eldest, is at home; Sophia, is attending school
at Keokuk, and John R. and Elizabeth, the younger
members of the family are still under the parental
roof.

^fi'LBERT TURPIN McCLAIN, deceased,
once a leading citizen of Buchanan Town-
ship, Jefferson County, was born in Cler-
mont County, Ohio, November 2, 1854, of
Scottish descent. The founder of the famfly in
America, his paternal great-great grandfatlier, emi-
grated from Scotland to America prior to the Rev-
olutionary War, in which he was a participant, .and
his son, the great-grandfather of our subject, was
also a member of the Colonial Army in the same
struggle. His father, George W. McClain, was
born in Clermont County, Ohio, June 14, 1827,and
on reaching manhood, he married Miss Rebecca
McNeill, who was born in the same county, April
28, 182(j. Their marriage was celebrated January
30, 1851. Three years previous, in 1848, he had
made his first visit to Jefferson County but did not
make a permanent location until 18G1, since which
time he and his wife have resided at their pleasant
home in Buchanan Township. Both .are zealous
Methodists and in tlie church to which they belong
they bear no inconsiderable part of the burden of
the burden of the work, but are ever ready to per-
form any t.ask which will aid in the promotion of
the cause.

Our subject was the third in a family of seven
children and from five years of age until liis death,
Jefferson County was the scene of his life and busi-
ness enterprises. In his youth, he prepared himself
for the ijrofession of teaching, su|»|>lemenling his

course in the common scliools by training in Howe's
Academy, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. After teaching"a
few terms, however, he decided that farming was
better suited to his tastes and hence turned his en-
ergies exclusively' m that direction which insured
his success, for anything to which he gave his at-
tention he labored at with untiring zeal and in-
dustry.

On February 13, 1877, Mr. McClain w.is joined
in marriage with Marj^ C"., the daughter of John P.
and Mary J. (Lavell) Manatre}', both of whom
were n'ltives of France, the former born in Lo-
raine, November 19, 1821, and the latter in Bal-
four, on July 20, 1828. In 1837, Mr. Manatrey
came to the United .Slates but it was not until 1847,
that he made a location in Jefferson County. Here
he married Miss Lavell, who crossed the Atlantic
to America with her parents and settled in Jeffer-
son County, in 1845. Subsequent to his emigra-
tion to this country, Mr. Manatrey learned the
carpenter's trade which proved of much use to
him, for as the result of his knowledge of that busi-
ness he was enabled to add many improvements to
his farm, thereby greatl3' enhancing its value. He
came to the county a poor man but by industry and
good management acquired a handsome corai)etenc)'
and ere his death was numbered among the wealthy
citizens of the communitj-. Both he and his wife
were faithful members of the Catholic Church and
in politics, be was a stanch Democrat. He was
called to the liome beyond, June 12, 1880, but his
wife still survives him. They had but two children,
a son and daughter — John P. and Kate.

Mrs. McClain was born in this county on June
11, 1855, and remained at home until her marriage,
after which the young couple located upon the
farm in Buchanan Township which is still her home.
Their union was blessed with three children,
namely: Nellie G., Frank L. and Julia M., all still
with their mother.

In his political sentiments, Air. McCI.-iin was a
Republican and for one term held the oflicc of Trus-
tee of his township. In the Methodist Church of
which he was a member he took front rank among
the active workers, was liberal in its support and
took a deep interest in its welfare and success. As
a business man he displayed much ability, and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

463

tlu'ift and industry were among liis chief character-
istics, as a glance at his fine farm of two hundred
and eighty-three acres wouhl indicate, A com-
modious and pleasant home was surrounded by
good barns and outbuildings, which in turn were
enclosed by well tilled fields, and high grades of
stock were found upon the premises, showing that
the owner was keeping pace with the times in all
things. In all church and social affairs, Mr. Mc-
Clain took a leading part; he was a wide awake
young man, held in high esteem and his death was
truly a calamity to the community in which he
made liis home. His widow still resides u[)on the
homestead farm where she is surrounded by an in-
teresting family of children and all the comforts
and some of the luxuries of life.

<* IVILLIAM A. BARTON, one of the old set-
\fJi/ ^'^''* '^^ Jefferson County, whose home is
\;^^ on section 33, Buchanan Township, is a
native of the Buckeye State. Ho flrst opened his
eyes to the light of day in Muskingum County,
Ohio, May 14, 1840, gracing the union of Alex and
Susan (Gian) Barton. His father was born in
County Fermanagh, Ireland, on the •23d of April,
1S04, an<l in 1820, wh(^n a lad of sixteen years, he
bade good-bye to the Emerald Isle, and with his
parents, two brothers and three sisters, set sail for
America. After a long and tedious voyage of six-
teen weeks they reached the shores of thr. New
AVorid.and made their way to Muskingum County,
Ohio, where the boy Alex grew to manhood. He
married Miss Ginh, who was born in Athens
County, Ohio, about 1815. of Irish parentage.
Both the paternal and maternal grandparents of
our subject spent the remainder of their lives in
the Buckeye Stale, and were believers in the Pro-
testant doctrine.

The parents of William A. Barton were married
in Athens County, but located in Muskingum
County, where the mother died in 1840, leaving
three children — Jane, wife of William M. Gillham,

a resident of Summerville, Ore.; James G., a Metho-
dist minister belonging to the Southern Iowa Con-
ference; and William A., of this sketch. The
father, having obtained §1,200 worth of land war-
rants, determined to eome to Jefferson County,
Iowa, to locate the same, but before he h,ad accom-
plished his plans he contracted a severe cold. At
that day bleeding was thought to be the cure for
all ailments, and Mr. Barton underwent that treat-
ment, but the cut was made too deep and destroyed
an artery. JMortification set in, and it was seen
that the arm must be taken off, wliich was accom-
plished witli a shoe knife and hand-saw. It was
not until 1853 that he linally made a location in
Iowa. In that year he purchased land in Cedar
Township on credit, but his sons assisted him in
his labors until his farm had been paid for and he
■was placed in comfortable circumstances. His
death occurred in Oregon on the 0th of December,
1889. He had served as Township Trustee, as
Clerk and as Justice of the Peace in Ohio, and was
also Trustee of Cedar Townshi]). A respected and
valued citizen, his death proved a loss to the com-
munity in which he made his home. In his relig-
ious convictions he was a Methodist, but his wife
held membership in the Baptist Church.

In the usual manner of farmer lads our subject
w.as reared to manhood, and that he might assist
his father, who was disabled, in securing a comfort-
able home, he remained under the parental roof
until twenty-six years of age, aiding in the farm
labor. On the 10th of April, 1866, having deter-
mined to make a home for himself, he chose as a
life companion Miss Agnes Bartholomew, their
wedding being celebrated on that day. The lady
was born in Huntingdon County, Pa., January 17,
1840, and is a daughter of Thomas and Agnes
(Spear) Bartholomew. Of the eight children born
of that union, three died in childhood, and the
living are: Sue M., Thomas A., William E., Min-
nie A. and Harry R.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Barton are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, and politicnlh', he is
a Democrat. His farm, consisting of one hundred
and eighty acres of arable land, situated on section
33, Buchanan Township, yields him a good income,
for his fields are under a high state of cultivation

464

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

and receive all tlie care required to make them
jielil abundant harvests. His stock is also of
good grades and his home, with all its surround-
ings, indicates thrift and enterprise. He has lived
for thirty-five 3"ears in the county and is a member
of the Old Settlers Society.

=<i3:

=^^^

fNDKEW ALLEN McLEAN. late of Mil-
ton, now deceased, was born in Westmore-
land County, Pa., February 24, 1814. His
(g^ father, Tlioruas McLean, was of American

birtli, but of Scut(^h descent, and his mother,
whose maiden name was Sarah Matthews, was of
Irish descent. Our subject received a- common-
school e<lucation, which was supplemented by self-
culture and extensive reading, making him a well-
informed man. He learned the trade of a tin and
copiiersmith in his youth in Somerset, Pa., and in
1837 went to Connellsville, in that State, where he
engaged in business as a dealer in stoves and tin-
ware.

On the 3d of October, 1843, in Connellsville,
Mr. McLean married Miss Catherine E. Littell.
d.MUghler of Samuel and Catherine (Custer) Littell.
Tlie lady was born in Uniontown, Fayette County,
Pa., iMiiy 19, 1819. Her mother was a daughter of
George Custer, an own cousin to President George
\Vashington, and Gen. Custer, of world-wide repu-
tation in Indian warfare, was a second cousin to
Mrs. McLean. Samuel Littell,. her father, was a
man of superior mental force, self educated, a
good scholar and an able public speaker. He was
a prominent man in public affairs in his locality,
and was especially earnest in his efforts to promote
the cause of temperance. In companj- with the
Rev. Archibald Fairchild and Isaac Nixon, lie
formed the first temi)erance society west of the Al-
leghaiiies. This family also had its representatives
in the War of the Revolution, two uncles of Mr.
Littell having aided the Colonies in their struggle
for independence.

Mr. McLean continued business in Connells-

ville, Pa., until April, 1851, when lit sold out and
removed to Athens, Ohio. The succeeding six
years were spent in farming within a mile of that
city, and in 1 857, accompanied by his family, he
took up his residence in Columbiana County, Ohio,
where he followed the same jjursuit for a like pe-
riod of time. Thence he removed to Mslvern Hill,
of the same State, where ho was engaged in the
hardware, stove and tinware business until 1865,
which year witnessed his arrival in Iowa, locating
near Fremont, Mahaska County. The previous
year, in company with A. R. Haines and A. Stew-
art, Jlr. McLean came to this State, bringing a
flock of eighteen hundred merino sheep, the largest
flock of slieep known to have crossed the Missis-
sippi at Burlington up to that time. The year fol-
lowing, ISCti, he came with his family to Van
Buren County and purchasec! a farm, which is situ-
ated six miles south of Keosauqna, and which com-
prised a [lart of what is known as the Brooks
Farm, one of the oldest settled places in the
county. There Mr. McLean carried on farming
until 1871, when he came to Milton with the ex-
tension of the Burlington it Southwestern Railroad
to this [ilace. On coming to the city, he again
erabarkeil in mercantile pursuits, carrying a full
line of stoves, tinware, hardware and farming im-
plements. His son, S. L. JNIcLean, was associated
with him in business as equal partner, and the con-
nection was continued until the death of the father,
which occurred October 29, 188.5, since which
time the business has been carried on by the son.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. McLean were born five chil-
dren, one son and four daughters — Samuel Littell,
the only son, was born in Connellsville, Pa., An-
gust 11, 1841, and on the 25th of September, 1879,
married Miss Maggie Bruce, daughter of Amor
Bruce. She was born in Van Buren County, in
March, 1 860, and died at their home in Mdton,
September 28, 1881. One child was born of their
union, a son, who died at the age of nine months,
four days prior to the death of the mother. Emma
Louisa, the second child of the family, was born
in Connellsville, Pa., November 27, 1849, and is
the wife of Alonzo L. JNIarsan, a native of Van
Buren County, now living in Milton; Sarah Belle,
born near Athens. Ohio, January 11, 1856, died in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

465

Van Buren County, Octobor 29, 1872, at the nge
of sixteen and a half years; Flora C. was born in
Malvern, Ohio, May 16, 1861, and is now the wife
E. B. Cassady, of Milton.

Mr. McLean was a member of tlie Methodist
Episcopal Church for forty years, and then joined
the Methodist Protestant, to which denomination
lie belonged at the tiae of his death. In politics
he was an old-line Democrat, and although he was
never ambitious of offlcial distinction, he was al-
wa3-s an earnest supporter of his party principles
and took a warm interest in its success. On com-
ing to Milton, he retained the ownership of his
farm of two hundred acres near Keosauqua, which
is now the property of Mrs. McLean. The farm
is well improved with good buildings, and com-
prises one of the most valuable tracts of land in the
locality. Mrs. McLean, who is a bright, intelligent
lad}', well preserved physically and mentally, re-
sides at the old homestead in Milton, whicii is still
the home of some of her children. She is a con-
sistent member of the Methodist Protestant Church
and is held in high esteem by ail who enjoy her
acquaintance.

Jlr. McLean was a man of sujx'rior mental force,
sound judgment and natural ability. He was en-
ergetic and earnest in whatever he undertook", and
was governed by his intercourse with the world
by principles of the strictest integrity and honesty.
He accumulated a goodlj' property by legitimate
means of labor and judicious investments, and died
in the enjoyment of the good will and kindly re-
gard of a wide circle of acquaintancts and friends.

\f] AMES BESWICK, Sk., one of the honored
early settlers of Van Buren County, is of
English birth, and a son of Jamesand Eliza-
beth (Gaywood) Beswick, who were also
natives of England. By trade his father was a shoe-
maker, and did an extensive business, furnishing
emploj'ment to several men. Wishing to try his
fortune in the New World, in 1818, accompanied

by his family, he crossed the Atlantic to America,
and made a location in AVashington County, Ohio,
where he turned his attention to the occupation of
farming. He reached the allotted three-score years
and ten, and his wife died at the ripe old age of
eighty-six years. Six children accompanied them
on their emigration to the United States, of whom
three are now living — James, Mrs. Elizabeth
Beach and George. The two latter are residents of
Ohio.

James Beswick was born in tlio town of Stock-
port. Cheshire, England, on the l.Sth of April,
1806, and ere leaving his native land had mastered
the common English branches of learning. Leav-
ing the [larental roof at nineteen years, he hegan
life's battle with the world to struggle forvrard and
at last gain the victory. By years of industry and
toil, supplemented by good business ability and
fair dealing, he acquired a competence which now
enables him to live a retired life and rest from the
toils of former years. Along life's journey', aiding
him in all possible ways and encouraging him in
hours of adversit}-, has walked one who foi' sixty-
four years has truly proved a helpmate to him— his
wife. On the 10th of December, 1826, he led to
the marriage altar Miss Augusta E. Thorniley, a
native of Washington County, Ohio, born January
18, 1801. Her parents wereAVilliam and Elizabeth
(Markham) Thorniley, the former a native of
Cheshire and the latter of London, England. In
early life both came to the United States. Her
father, with his parents and her mother, who had
been left an oriihan in early girlhood, with friends.
Soon after their marri.age thej' removed to Ma-
rietta, Ohio, where Mr. Thorniley worked in a
ship-yard. He died at the age of lifty-six years,
but his wife lived to the advanced age of eighty-
six. Mrs. Beswick is the only one of their seven
children now living.

For many years Mr. Beswick carried on farming
in Ohio, but at length, in 1850, he resolved to seek
a home further west, and located in Van Buren
County, Iowa, where he purchased one hundred
acres of land on section 23, Union To(vnshi|). That
farm continued to be his home for nineteen yeai's,
when, in 1869. he and* his estimable wife removed
to Winchestev, where they expect to spend theiv

466

POKTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

last days. He was a successful farmer, and in all
his dealings his transactions were marked by an
uprightness and honest3- wliich won him the confi-
deiiee of all with whom he came in contact. He
has been a voter for some sixty-two years. He cast
his first Presidential ballot for Andrew Jackson in
1828, and has continued to support the Democratic
party.

I'uto Mr. and Mrs. Bcswick were born twelve
cliildren. six of whom are yet living: George G.,
wjio resides in Memphis, Mo.; James, whose sketch
appears elsewhere in this volume; Mrs. Fannie
Plummer and Mrs. August Whitaker, who reside
ill ^'an Huren County; Thomas T., whose sketch is
given elsewhere; and Mrs. Minerva Thornile3', of
V;iii IJurcn County.

The pironts of this family have now re'vched an
ailv.^nccd age, and their lives have been well and
Worthily spent. They have reared a family of
cliildren who occupy important positions in society,
and have exerted an influence on the side of mo-
rality which will be felt long after they have passed
away. The kindness and charity of their lives has
won them friends and the respect of the entire
commuiiily is unreservedly given them.

IN'DREW CASTILE. The history of Jef-
v@0| IVrson County would be incomplete with-
''' 4 out the sketch of this gentleman, who, as
one of the Swedish colonists, settled in the
coiniiiiuiily at an earlj' day and has been identified
wiih all enterprises calculated for its upbuilding
ami improvement. He was born in Sweden on the
3 id of March. 1823, and at the very early age of
nine years began life for himself. His father had
died six years previous and as the family was in
limited circumstances he was thrown upon his own
resotu\' s at an .ago when most boys were just be-
g'lining their education. His scholastic training
was necessarily very limited for his time had to be
spent in providing for his own maintenance. As
before stated he began to make his own way in the

worli! when a lad of nine years, going about the
countr3' making shoes as w.as the custom in that
day. There were eight children in his father's
family — Isaac and Peter who remained in Sweden;
Marj' and Louisa, who like their elder brothers
spent their lives in their native land; Charlie and
Lena wlio died in Sweden; Andrew, the subject of
this sketch, and John, a resident of Salina, Iowa.
The mother of the family died about the year 1860.

Andrew Castile followed his trade of shoemak-
ing for some eighteen years, continuing work in
that line for three years after his arrival in this
country, his shop being located in Fairfield. The
year 1848 witnessed his emigration to America and
Rock Island, III., was the place of his first settle-
ment, but on the 4tli of July, 1849, he arrived in
Fairfield, where he continued the shoemaking
business until 1852. Coming to Lockridge Town-
shi|) at that time, he purchased eighty .acres of land
which has since continued to be his home, cover-
ing ft period of more than a third of a centuiy. At
that time not a building had been erected between
his home and Fairfield, which gives some idea of
the unsettleil condition of the county at that time.
Much of the land was still unclaimed, manj- of the
towns and villages had not yet sprung into exist-
ence and the work of civilization had scarcely be-
gun. Mr. Castile erected the first frame house in
the neighborhood and has greatly increased the
value of his property .by the addition of many ex-
cellent improvements. The homestead farm com-
prises threj hundred and twenty acres which is
operated by his sons, he having laid aside the more
active duties of life.

By the side of Mr. Castile along life's journey
has walked one who has shared in his hardships and
trials, has encouraged and sustained him in adver-
sity and delighted in his successes and prosperit}'.
The maiden name of this lady was Sarah Elizabeth
Anderson, and she became his wife on September
30, 1819. She came to this country with the Swed-
ish colony, headed by Peter Cassel (in regard to
which see the sketch of A. F. Cassel on another
page of this volume.) Her birth occurred on the
8th of July, 1824, and she was reared upon the pa-
rental farm. Twelve children were born unto Mr.
and Mrs. Castile, eight of whom are j'et living —

THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY

W. A. DUCKWORTH.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

469

Andrew A., born October 1, 1850, man-ierl Kmm.a
Anderson of Henry Counlj', and is living in York,
Neb.; Maiv Helena, born March 4, 1852, is the
wife of August Berg, a merchant of Colorado;
.Tolin K., born December 3, 1853, wedded Tiljie
Carlson, and is engaged in raei'cantile liusiness at
Omaha, Neb.; Isaac L., born April 13, 1K55, mar-
ried .Sarah Peterson and is o|)erati ng a part of the
homestead farm; SmimIi E., born January 8, 1857, is
the wife of Oscar Larson, who lives on a part of
the Castile faiin ; Martin W., M.».til(la Kosina and
Martin LuLlier all died in early ehihlliood; Robert
Lincoln, born .laiuiary 2, 1864, was married in
Burlington, to Kmma Wall, and is now clerking in
Kearney. Neb. ; Delia Matilda, born December 8,
LS()5, and (iust A., born July 3, 18()8, are at home;
Frank W. died at the age of two years. The chil-
dren all received good common-school educational
advantages and Robert L. was a student in Parsons
College for two years. The parents and children
aie all f^illifid members of the Methodist Episco-
pal C'hnich, in which the father holds the office of
Ijeacon. He takes great interest in both church
and Sunday-school work, has ai<led not a little in
the upbuilding of the society to which he belongs
and h:\s given liberally to the support of the cause.
In his early life, Mr. Castile was a Whig, but has
iilentilied himself with the Republican party since
its iirganization and with one exception his sons
are all stalwart Republicans, doing their best work
for the party. Mr. Castile is an honored pioneer
of JelTerson County, having not only witnessed
but been an active participant in its many changes.
He is now living in retirement, enjoying the fruits
of a well si)cnl. life.

-^^

APT. WILLIAM A. DUCKWORTH, one

of the wide awake business men of Keosau-
^^(-' qua, is engaged in farming, is a dealer in
lumber, and is a contractor with the Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific Railroad Company, to which he
f. rnislies ties and limber. Men of his enterprise

and business capacity add not a little to the growth
and progress of the city, and it was fortunate for
Keosanqua that lie chose there to make his home.
The Captain, a native of (!reencastle, Ind., was
born Ma\- 31, 1837. and is a son of Thomas C.
Duckworth. His father, who was born in North
Carolina. June 12, 1811, in early life emigrated to
Washington County, Ind., and later to Greencas-
tle, where he became accpiainled with and married
Miss Rachel T. Stone, whose birth occurred on the
Uth of October, 1814, in Mercer County, Ky. By
their union were born nine children, five sons and
four daughters, as follows: Mary A., who became
the wife of George C. O'Neil, and died in Moulton,
Iowa, in the fall of 1888; John A., who enlisted as
a private in Company G, Second Iowa Infantrj-,
and was promoted to the rank of captain for gal-
lant service, died in Savannah, (An., in December,
1864, leaving a widow, whose maiden name was
Rebecca C. Evans; William A., wlic)se name beads
this sketch, is the next younger; Sarah A., who
died near Denver, Colo., in 1887, was the wife of
W. F. Hammett; Dr. D. A., a practicing physickian
of Keosauqua; Enoch A., who also served in the
Second Iowa Infantry; Elizabeth J., of BUjomfield;
G. Lewis, dealer in harness and agricultural imple-
ments, of Bloomfield; and Celesta A., wife of Har-
rison Bruce, of Sherman, Kan.

Thomas C. Duckworth, the father of this family
was a man of more than ordinary ability. He pos-
sessed a powerful mind, was a strong reasoner and
deep thinker, and was very successful in his chosen
profession of teaching, which he followed for many
years. Politically, he was a stalwart Democrat, and
was favored with several local offices of trust, while
a resident of Indiana. In 1854, he emigrated to
Davis County, Iowa, where his death occurred in
1888. In early life both he and his wife were mem-
bers of the Presbyterian Church, but after coining
West, there was no church organization of that de-
nomination in the neighborhood where they settled,
and thej' associated themselves with the Methodist
Church.

In his youth our subject received limited educa-
tional advantages, but to-day we find him a well-
informed man. Studious by nature, and possessing
an observing eye and retentive memory, he has

470

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

familinrizt'i! himself with many standard worivs, and
has (.'allied a prautieal knowledge of men and their
manners which con Id not have been acquired from
text books, and which has been of great benefit to
him in his business career. He also has a knowl-
edge of many subjects of general interest, is posted
in regard to political affairs, and is a pleasing con-
versationalist. At the age of eighteen years he was
api)renliced to the millwright's trade, and having
become a proficient workman, followed the busi-
ness for several years, duiing which time he con-
structed a number of the best mills in Southern
Iowa. On the 26th of July, 1859, he was united in
niairiage with Miss Rebecca C. Evans, daugliter of
William and Elizabeth (Goldsmith) Evans, but ere
two years had [lassed away, he was called from
home and wife to serve his country upon Southern
liattle tielils.

Capt. Duckworth watched with interest yet with
apprehension, the progress of events in the South,
and note'i with disfavor the attitude which the
Southern States assumed, and when his worst hopes
were realized and Ft. Sumter was fired upon, he re-
solved that he would strike a blow in defense of
his country'.-' honor, and the close of the week fol-
lowing the assault of the fort, saw him enlisted
among the boys in blue. He was mustered into
service at Keokuk as a member of C'oini)any G,
Second Iowa Infantrj", and after a short rendezvous
was sent to Hannibal, Mo., to guard the Hannibal
ife St. Joe Railroad. On the return of the troops
to St. Louis, they were soon afterward sent to Bird's
Point, opposite Cairo, 111., but in a .'^hort time re-
lumed to St. Louis, and guarded the rebel prison-
ers. Later the regiment was ordered to Ft. Donel-
son, and during the battle was placed in the front
i-anks. and received the credit and honor of being
the first regiment to break the works. Their next
eng.ngcmcnl was at the battle of Shiloh, as a part
of Gen. W. II. L. Wallace's Division, and Capt.
l)uckw(uth was near the General wdien he was shot
from his horse. This was followed by the battle of
Inka, and the lirst and second battles of Corinth,
the Second Iowa then remaining at Corinth until
after the siege of Vicksburg was raised when a por-
tion of the regiment, including our subject, was
granted a thirty-days furlough. On rejoining his

command, Mr. Duckworth was made First Lieuten-
ant of the One Hundred and Tenth Regiment Col-
ored Infantry, and on the 24th of September, 1864,
was attacked h}' Forrest, who, greatly superior in
numbers, captured the entire command, sending
them as prisoners to Enterprise, Miss., where they
were paroled. The treatment thej' there received
differs vastly from that of the experience of many
others; in fact, they were well treated, and as Capt.
Duckworth remarks, were "allowed to wear a boiled
shirt, and go to meeting on Sundays." Later they
were sent to St. Louis and exchanged, and then
joined the army at Savannah, Ga., whence the Cap
tain made his way to troldsborough, N. C, where
he resigned, April 6, 1865. On the return trip he
passed through Washington, D. C, and was in the
city the night of the assassination of President Lin-
coln.

After a four-years' experience on Southern bat-
tle fields, during which he endured many liardships
and privations, Capt. Duckworth returned to his
home and business. From 1865 until 1874, he en-
gaged in milling in Davis County, Iowa, but in the
latter year sold out and removed to Oltumwa,
Iowa, where he owned and operated a foundry for
a short time, but fire destroyed his property, and
he lost nearly all he had. In company with Dr.
Cook, he then built a mill, but sold his interest in
the business to his partner in 1876, since which
time he has been engaged in furnishing ties and
timber to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail-
road Company, with headquarters in Floris, Eldon
and Kcosauqua. In 1882, he removed to the latter
city, where he has since made his home, and in ad-
dition to the enterprise before mentioned, he is also
engaged in the lumber business and in farming. In
politics, the Captain is a stanch supporter of the
Democracy, and while residing in Davis County,
was honored with the nomination of State Senator,
but as the county has an overwhelming Republican
majority, he could not hope for an election- So-
cially, he is a member of the Masonic fraternity,
belonging to the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Com-
mandery.

In 1889, Capt. Duckworth suffered the loss of
his wife, who died at their home in Keosauqua, on
the 25th of July, leaving a family of four children;

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

471

Albert S., Herbert E., Rac-liel E., and Lewis S. The
wife and mother was a most estimable lady, and a
sincere Cliristian, a member of the Congregational
Church. Beloved for her many excellencies of
char.icter, and respected by all who knew her, her
death was sincerely mourned by a large circle of
friends and acquaintances.

— >^.>i:^^H55:5^^'^?-^

=^EORGK W. BELL, of the firm of Hill. Bell &
Kays, dealers in lumber, grain and live
*^iJlj stock, of Milton, Iowa, was born on a farm
two and a half miles north of Keosauqua, one of
the first farms opened in \'an Buren County, on the
18th of June, 1840, and is a son of James and
Barbara (Walker) Bell, a sketch of whom ai)|)ears
• •Isewhere in this work. His education was ac-
quired ill the common schools of the neighborliood
and his youlliful days were spent mid play and
work in the usual nianner of farmer lads. Having,
at length attained to mature years, he was united
iij marriage with Miss ^Malvina Frazee, daughter
(if \\'illiaiii Frazee. She was born in Ohio and
came to this county during childhood. Their
niarritge was celenrated on the r)th of January,
1862, in Van Buren Count3-, and blessed with a
family of eight children, two sons and six daugh-
ters, as follows: Emery L., who mairied Etha
Ptttit, and is living in Pueblo, Col.; Mary L, wife
of Elljert Davis, a resident farmer of Davis County ;
Barbara Alice, wife of John P. Denning, who is
also engaged in farming in Davis County; Angle,
at home; Sadie, wife of George Likes, of Davis
County, a teacher by profession; Jennie and Willie
A., at home; and one child who died in infancy.
The death of the mother occurred April 16, 1888.
.She was a member of the Methodist Church.

Mr. Bell was again married on the 14th of No-
vember, 1888. in Milton, to Mary Elizabeth Rus-
sell, daughter of John Russell, and a native of
Sussex County, Del., whence she removed to Iowa
with her parents in early childhood, the family
1 eating in Van Buren County. Mr. and Mrs. Bell

are members of the Methodist Church, and in
political sentiment he is a sup|iorter of Democratic
principles.

The children of James Bell, father of our sub-
ject, were reared to habits of industry and integrity
and have proved worthy of their ancestry, while
their lives have been carried out in accordance
with the teachings and example of their parents.
As a family they are universally respected, and in
business the sons of James Bell hold their word as
sacred as did their father before them, which trait
of character is sure to command respect .and confi-
dence. George Bell entered upon his business
career as a farmer of Roscoe Township, Davis
County-, and continued operations in the line of an
agriculturist until the autumn of 189ti. He is yet
the owner of two farms, aggregating six hundred
and ft>rty-five acres of land which he still has in
charge. He has farmed and dealt in live stock
since early manhood, and since becoming a mem-
ber of the lirm of Hill, Bell & Kays he has attended
to the live-stock department of the business prin-
cipally. This firm does an annual business of over
$250,000, and as its members are men of worth,
ability and enterprise, they have won the confidence
and respect of their patrons. Mr. Bell is a member
of Aurora Lodge, No. 50, A. F. & A. M.

•^#^

ITL^ON. LEONARD KING, of Farmington, is
) numbered among the pioneer settlers of Van
Buren County-. His residence in this sec-
V®) tion dates from 1838, consequently covers
a period of fifty two consecutive years. Few of
the settlers of that early day j'el remain to tell the
story of Iowa life during the days when the State
formed a part of the extreme Western frontier.

Mr. King was bom in Cayuga County, N. Y., on
the 22d of April, 1807. and was one of a family c)f
twelve children, whose parents were Paul and Eu-
nice (Morgan) King. His father was b<n-n on Long
Island in 1762, and his mother, a native of Con-
necticut, was boin in 1775, Becoroirig residents

472

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

of New York in 3'outb. they were married in the

Empire State, aii'l for iiianj- years resided in Or-
leans County. A family of twelve children was
born unto tliem. all of whom grew to mature years,
were married and reared families of their own, but
our subject is now the only survivor, and upon him
devolves the duty of perpetuating their memorj' by
written record: Henry, tlie eldest, died in Califor-
nia ; Klizabeth became the wife of Reuben Ellis, and
they made their home in Wisconsin; Sylvester died
at about the age of seventy-five years; Enoch emi-
grated to ^Mississippi, and subsequently removed to
Texas, where he died of yellow fever; William S.
from the age of eighteen months made his home
with an uncle who was a printer, and with him
ii'arned that trade. "When fourteen years old, he
wen^ to Charleston, S. C, arriving in that city with
only fdurtoen cents in his pocket, but he soon en-
tered the Courier office, where he remained, rising
steadily step by step until at his death he had be-
come owner of the paper, and a man of wealth and
iiilluence in the community; Sarah became the wife
of Abraham Fi~k; and Susan her twin sister, mar-
ried Hiley Fisk. and lioth families settled in Jeffer-
son County, N. Y.; Elijah died near Quiucy, 111.;
Lury became the wife of Henry Bartholemew, and
their home was in Orleans County, N. Y.; Leo -
anl. (if tliis sketch, is the next younger; Ede mar-
ried Ephraira Beardsley, and settled near Quincy,
III. ; Russell P. became a resident of Adams County,
Iowa, but afterward removed to Lee County. The
parents of tliis family lived to an advanced age,
and died within three days of each other, from ex-
posure while making a trip to the home of their son
in Jefferson County. They were consistent and
faithful members of the Christian Church, whose
u|)right lives and many deeds of charity and kind-
ness won them the love and esteem of all. Their
children were reared to habits of industry, and in
early life deep lessons of truth were impressed upon
their minds. They became good citizens and mem-
bf-rs of society, doing honor to the training of their
Christian parents.

The member of the famil}' iT\ whom the people
Van Buren County are efpecially interested — Leon-
ard King — was educated in the common schools of
his native State and at Fredonia Academy. He

prepared himself for teaching, but did not follow
that occupation, circumstances ariuing which caused
him to devote his attention to other pursuits. He
was married in Fredonia, Chautauqua County, N.
Y., in 1833, to Miss Angeline Beardsley, a native
of Rlassachusetts. Their union was blessed with
two children, but death visited the home, and both
were taken away. The daughter, Olive, became the
wife of Thomas Stark, and died in this county;
iMiles, an only son, was a young man of more than
ordinary' ability, quick to learn, and of excellent
habits, but in 1861, feeling that his country needed
his services, he enlisted for the late war, and laid
down his life on the altar of freedom. He was as-
signed to Company B, of the Third Iowa Cavalry,
and mustered in at Keokuk. He remained with his
regiment uji to the last, was always found at his
post of duty, and never shirked a task imposed on
him. In an engagement on the 16th of April, 1865,
he was wounded, and three days later in Columbus,
Ga., he closed his eyes in the last sleep, and was
laid to rest on Southern soil. Mr. King was ten-
dered a pension, but would not accept it on ac-
count of an oath to which he had to swear. He
would not perjure himself for a few paltry dollars,
but with the integrity which has characterized his
entire life he relinquished all claim to the money,
rather than sacrifice his honor.

It was in 1838, that Mr. King first came to Iowa.
Van Buren County was then wild and unsettled,
and its brightness could never have been dreamed
of, much less realized. The work of improvement
seemed scarcely begun, only a few log cabins hav-
ing been built here and there over the county, but
he has lived to see commodious and elegant resi-
dences leplace the pioneer homes, while a school-
house has been built on almost every hilltop, with
a church by its side, the outcome of the enterprise
of a \Tell-educated and contented people, the citi-
zens of a once unsettled communitj^ Countless
manufactories have sprung up on every hand, rail-
roails cross and recross the country, penetrating
every nook and corner of this vast State, and tele-
graph and telephone have been introduced, permit-
ting man to address a message, or to converse with
one hundreds of miles away. Taking into consid-
eration these things, we can but exclaim, "surely

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

473

the age of wonders is upon ns. " The progress made
in Van Buren County, is due almost entirely to its
pioneers, and not the least of tliose who left com-
fortaljle homes in the East, and endured the trials
and hardships of Western life, is Leonard King.
Van Buren County owes to him a debt of gra^titude
for tlie work he has performed in her behalf.

As the years have passed bringing changes to
the county, Mr. King has also prospered and his
efforts have been crowned with success. Only a
few clouds have come to darken his pathway, and
these were occasioned by the loss of his children,
and his estimable wife, who died on the 27th of Oc-
tober, 1866. She was a member of the Methodist
Church, and her death was movirned b^- a large con-
course of people.

In 1839, Mr. King removed to Lee County, and
the following year was commissioned by Gov. Lu-
cas as Justice of the Peace, which commission is
still in his possession. After ten3'ears however, he
returned to Van Buren County, where he has since
made his home. He was honored with the office of
Mayor of Farmington, and for a number of years
was a member of the City Council. Faithful and
prompt in the discharge of every dut}-, he proved
a capable official. His life is characterized by the
strictest integrity, in his dealings he is honest and
upright, and his word is as good as his bond.

f^ LARK VAN NOSTRAND, a prominent far-
Ill mer and earl}- settler of Buchanan Town-
^5^^ ship, Jefferson County, residing on section
18, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Ashland
Count}', January 12, 1831. and traces his ancestry
back to Holland. The progenitors of the family
in America, crossed the Atlantic at a very early
day in the history of this country, and settled in
Pennsj'lvania. His paternal grandfather emigrated
from that State to Ohio, bnt ere the removal, there
was born in Westmoreland County, on the 1st of
September, 1800, a little son, to whom was given
the name of John. That child was a lad of fifteen

years when the family took up their residence in
Ohio. Soon afterwaid his father died, and the
burden of supporting the family fell upon the
young lad, who, in the midst of the forest devel-
oped a farm, whereby he provided for the mainten-
ance of his mother, brothers, and sisters. He was
the oldest of eight children, the familv being com-
posed of three sons and five daughters. In Ash-
land County, Ohio, he married Miss Eliza Gribben,
who was a native of Pennsylvania, but of Irish de-
scent, her parents having been born in Ireland. Mr.
Van Nostrand then made a farm for himself, and
there reaied his sons to habits of industry. On
the 9th of September, 1850, loading the household
effects into wagons, the family started for Iowa,
reaching their destination after twenty-three days
of travel. The father purchased two hundred
acres of land, the farm now owned by our subject,
and there spent the remainder of his life, but he
was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, fcir
after an eight-years' residence in Iowa, his death
occurred on the 6th of April, 1859. His wifa was
called home about three years previous, dying in
November, 1855, at the age of fifty-four years.
Both were members of the Christian Church from
early life, and the record which they made is one
of which their children may well be proud. Their
family numbered four sons and three daughters,
but only three are now living: William, a resident
farmer of Decatur County, Iowa; Amanda, wife
of John Birkhimer, whose homfe is in Fremont
County, Iowa.

Clark Van Nostrand, the other surviving member
of the familj', and the one whose history is identified
with that of Jefferson Count}', has lived a useful
and upright life, and ranked among the valued ciii-
zens of the community. As soon as he was old
enough he was put to work upon his father's farm,
and before the removal of the family to Iowa, lie
learned the cooper's trade. On reaching this State,
he found his services in that line were in demand,
and made many an extra dollar by work at the same
when the weather or other causes prevented farm
labor. Though lawfully his own master, he ic-
raained at home and operated his father's farm, un-
til, at length, having accumulated some sMr|ih.s
money, he entered two hundred acres of land in

474

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Decatur County. Tbat continued to be his home
but a sliort time, when lie sohl out, and in company
with his brother ]>ewis, lie i)ijreliaseil the old home-
stead, of which he became sole owner after five
years.

An important event in the life of Mr. Van Nos-
trand, occurred on the 23d of April, 1851), when he
led to the marriage altar Miss .Sarah Whiting, a na-
tive of Ashland County, Ohio, born April 9, 1832.
Her parents were Samuel H. and Rebecca (Shaw)
Whiting, the former a native of Maine, and the lat-
ter of Pennsylvania. They became early settlers
of the Buckeye State, and the year 1856 witnessed
their arrival in Iowa. Upon their marriage, Mr.
and ]\Irs. Van Nostrand took up their abode on the
old homestead, which they have never left for an-
other place of residence. The home was blessed
with a family of seven children, numbering six sons
and one daughter, but four of the number died in
childhood. Emma, the only daughter, is now the
wife of Benjamin L. Gossick, a resident farmer of
Buchanan Township; Andrew B. is engaged in
agricultural pursuits in Colorado; and Lewis W. is
at liome.

For many years both Mr. and Mrs. Van Nos-
trand have been identified with the Christian
Church. Tliey are charter members of the Fairfield
church, in which for some twenty years he has iield
the office of Elder. Not only has he given freely
to its support, but he has also made liberal dona-
tions to Oskaloos'a College, and Drake University-,
which institutions are under the auspices of the
Christian Church. He makes his religion a part of
his daily life, is charitable and benevolent, and in
his good works finds a ready and willing assistant
in his estimable wife. He cast his first Presidential
vote for Scott, and in political sentiment, since the
organization of the party, has been a Republican.
Caring little for public otflce, he has never sought
yjolilical preferment, but in 1880 was the choice of
township for the office of County Supervisor, and
for three years he served as Township Assessor.
His landed possessions now aggregate four hundred
and ten acres, one of the best farms in the neigh-
borhood. A glance at the well tilled fields indi-
cates to the passer-by that the owner is a man of
thrift and industi'v. and in looking into his stables

and seeing the tine grades of horses, cattle, sheep
and hogs which he raises, we see that he is a man
of progressive ideas, who is ever abreast with the
times. He has gained the greater part of his pos-
sessions through his own efforts, and is regarded
by all who know him as one of the leading citizens
of Buchanan Township. Many friends will be
pleased to receive this brief sketch of his life which
deserves a [ilace in the volume of his country's his-
tory for many reasons, he being an early settler, a
representative fai-mer and good citizen, but mostly
because he is an upright man whose example is
worthy of emulation.

^g^^JIP^^g

<| l>ILLIAMGOODIN,sonof the pioneer, Asa
\fJi Goodin, chiiuis Ohio as the State of his
\V!/Y/ nativity, his birth liaving occurred on the
14th of November, 1838, in Perry County. How-
ever, he there spent but six years of his life. In
1844 he accompanied his parents on thair emigra-
tion to the Territory of Iowa and in the district
schools of Van Buren County he acquired a lim-
ited education. As his father needed his services
his attendance at school covered only about six
terms, but subsequent reading, observation and
experience have maile him a well- informed man.
In 1854, when a lad of sixteen years, he left the
parental roof and started out in life for himself,
making his own way in the world as a day laborer.
In 1855 he began running upon the Des Moines
and Mississippi rivers and followed that business
for some six j'ears. Feeling that the country
needed bis services and believing it his duty to
respond to the call for troons, he enlisted at the
beginning of the vvar, joining Company A, of the
First Iowa Cavalry, on the 15th of June, 1861, at
Keokuk. He participated in all the engageriients
of his company and remained with tlie regi.ment,
faithfully performing liis duty, until mustered out
at Davenport, Iowa.

On leaving the service, Mr. Goodin returned to
Farmington where he embarked in the grocery

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

476

business, which he lias since follovred. On om-
l)arking- in business he invested $275, but the stoel?
he has greatly increased to accommodate liis ever
growing patronage. He has now one of tlie lead-
ing stores in Farniington, where may be found the
best grades of everything kept in a first class
grocery. Courteous treatment and fair dealing
have won him favor with the public and he now
reaps a good income from his business.

It was in the month of September, 1864, that
William Goodin and Miss M.atilda Rogers, a native
of Ohio, were united in marriage. Their union
was blessed with two children, Inez and William
Collier, who died November 25, 1883. In polit-
ical sentiment Mr. (xoodin is a Demf)crat, and in
-civic societies belonging to the Grand Army of
the Republic and the Masonic fraternity. He is a
Knight Templar Mason, Treasurer in the Blue
Lodge and Scribe of the Chapter. Mr. Goodin is
an enterprising and progressive citizen who labors
for the upbuilding of the county's interest and is a
worthy representative of one of its pioneer fam-
ilies.

oc^o'

C"ii?RIEL NEAL is numbered among the hon-
l| ored pioneers of N'an Buren County, dating
^_>il his residence from 183G, and fur lifty-four
years he has resided upon his present faim in Bon-
aparte Township. He was born in Boone County,
Ky., October 11, 1810, and is a son of Jolin and
Susan (Ricketts) Neal, who at a very early day set-
tled in Kentuck}', where was born unto them a fam-
ily of five children, only two of whom are nfiw living
— Abeli a resident of Ft. Madison. Iowa; and Uriel
of this sketch. The parents came to Iowa in 1836
and S|)fnt the remainder of their lives in Van Buren
County, but many years have now passed since they
were called to their final home. Mr. Neal was a
farmer and from the wild huKl in this section de-
veloped a fine farm which supplied him with all
the comforts of life. In polities, he gave his sup-
port to the Democratic party.

Our subject was reared and educated in his na-

tive county and when a young man accompanied
his parents to Dearborn County. Ind., where in
1832, he led to the marriage altar Miss Catherine
Brokaw, a native of Pennsylvania. Their union
was blessed by an only daughter — Rachel M.

Fifty-four 3^ears have passed since Mr. Neal and
his wife came to Van Buren County and great have
been the changes which time and the honored pio-
neers have wrought. They saw on their arrival
broad acres of uncultivated land which was then a
part of the Territory of Wisconsin. Few indeed
were the setth^ments which had previously been
made, the cities of Fairfield and Keosauqua had not
tlien been founded and the work of civilization
seemed scarcely liegun. They settled on what is
now one of the best farms in tlie community and it
was not then an ur.frequent sight to see the red men
pass and repass on their way to and from Keokuk,
while their camj* fires gleamed red along the river
banks. Almost entirely cut off from the outside
world the settlors were di'pen<lent upon one another
for company and entertainment, and many a worthy-
pioneer now looks back with a sigh of regret to
think that tho.se da^-s when intercourse was free
and hospitality unlimited, have passed away. But
years rolled along and changes came. The log
cabins were re|)laced by commodious residences,
towns and villages sprang up, churches and schools
were built and transformation at length obliterated
nearly all the landmarks of the pioneer days. Like
many others, Mr. Neal was dependent upon the la-
bors of his hands for support. When the expenses
of his journey to this State were paid he had but
fifty cents remaining, yet youthful ho[)es supple-
mented his energy and industry and encouraged
him to renewed effort when the days looked dark-
est. The furniture in the pioneer home was ver\-
crude, as for exam])le. a dr^'-goods box was used
as a table or perhaps the door was taken from its
hinges and served the same purpose. Their mill-
ing was done in Missouri and their groceries were
obtained in Lexington but the pros|)erit3- which at-
tends untiring effort came to Mr. Neal, and he is
now the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and
two acres.

In politics, Mr. Neal is a Democrat and has
served as Justice of the Pe.ace and other township

476

PORTRAJT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

offices. In bis religious views lie is liberal and
neither is he connected with civic societies. He
and his worth}' wife have travelled life's journey
together for" fifty-eight years, sharing with each
other its joys and sorrows, adversity and prosper-
ity. The end of the journey is probably near at
hand, but in looking backward they need feel no
regret, for their lives have Ijcen worthil}' spent.

-^-^

atj-_i

-N-

WSAAC CASTILE, a well-known farmer and
I representative of one of tlie pioneer families
ij of Jefferson County, lives in the house where
he was born, on section I'J, Lockridge Township.
His birth occurred on April 13, 1855, and he was
the fourth child of Andrew Cnstile, whose sketch
we append below. His entire life having been
passed in this county he is familiar with the history
of its progress and transformation. His b03'hood
days were spent in the usual manner of farmer lads
and during his youth he attended the district school
during the winter season. The schoolhouse was
primitive in character, being built of logs and fur-
nished with seats hut no desks, while the school was
conducted on the plan of "no lickin', no liirnin."
Like a dutiful son, Mr. Castile assisted his fa-
ther in the labors of the farm until he had attained
his majority when he started out in life for himself,
but still remained under the parental roof, con-
tinuing to make his home with father and mother
until his marriage, which was celebrated on the
27th of February, 1884. The lady of his choice
was Miss Sarah E. Peterson, a native of Webster
County, Iowa. Her parents are still living and
are residents of Hamilton County, Iowa. Four in-
teresting children have been born of their union,
three sons and a daughter — Erick Luther, born
February 21, 1885; Simon P., July 14, 1880; An-
drew R., January 12. 1888, and Faith A., January
9, 1890.

Mr. Castile has rented and now operates one hun-
dred and sixty acres of the old homestead. He is
a progressive young farmer whose correct ideas

concerning the methods of agriculture and excellent
business habits win him success and place him in
the front rank among the citizens of his township.
He is also intelligent, keeping himself well informed
on the leading issues of the day, both State and
National. In politics, he is a stanch Republican
and prohibitionist. He cast his first Presidential
vote for R. B. Hayes and has never wavered in his
allegiance to that party, but in the county conven-
tions to which he has been eent as delegate some
ten or twelve times, he is an influential member,
laboring earnestly for the adoption of the party-
principles which he believes to be for the best in-
terests of the people in general. F'or ten years he
served as Constable and to those who know him it
is needless to say proved an efficient and capable
officer. He was the first member to sign the ch.'ir-
ter of the Farmers' Alliance and was elected its
President. Both Mv. and Mrs. Castile are con-
sistent members and active workers in the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, and for ten years he has
acted as Steward of that organization. In the
social world the family rank high, their home is the
abode of hospitality, and their circle of friends is
indeed extensive.

-^^t»*-s't>^^^-^^<^-'^*cs-

HOBIAS T. BESWICK still lives at his
boyhood home, a pleasant farm on section
23, Union Township, to the operation of
which he devote.s his time and energies. He was
born in Washington County, Ohio, June 24, 1838,
and when a lad of twelve summers came with his
parents to ^'an Buren County. His scholastic
training was rather meagre, for the district schools
of those days offered no superior advantages. Hav-
ing remained at home until 1863, he then spent
about two and a half years in farming in Nevada
ami California, returning by w.ay of the Nicaraugua
route.

The first wife of Thomas Beswick was in her
maidenhood Miss Eliza Fee, and their marriage was
celebrated in February, 1866. She was a native

PUBLICLIBRARY

1^ ^ ^

J. S. SLOAN.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

479

of Ireland, and lived 011I3' about two and a half
years after her marriage, dying in May, 18G8. On
the 2d of May, 1873, Mr. Beswick w.as joined in
wedlock with Miss KaleGoodall. one of Van Buren
County's fair daughters. Unto them were born
three children — Charles L.; Anna, who died in in-
fancy ; and Aletbea.

Since attaining his majority Blr. Beswick has
supported the Democratic party, and has felt a
deep interest in its success, but has never for him-
self desired public preferment. As before stated,
his present home was also that of his childhood.
He is now the owner of two hundred and fifty
acres of highly improved land, furnished with good
buildings and having one of the finest arrange-
ments for supplying water by a wind pump, in the
county. His farm is not known for its "broad
acres," but has a reputation for tiie neatness with
which it is kept. High grades of stock are also
raised thereon, and the owner is accounted one of
the most successful and energetic farmers of the
county. He is a representative of one of the hon-
ored families of the community, and like his father
and brother is a worth}' and valued citizen.

-^-

-^

\i;UDGE JOSHUA S. SLOAN, one of the edi-
tors and proprietors of the Keosauqua Be-
publican, was born in AVaj'ncsburg, Chester
County, Pa., on the 29th of January, 1822,
and is a son of Robert and Elizabeth (Steapleton)
Sloan. When a babe of a jear, in the siiring of
1823, he was taken b}' his parents to Columbiana
County, Ohio, the family settling on a farm in
Wayne Township. For several years they contin-
ued to reside in tliat county but at lengtli came to
Iowa and took up their residence near the city of
lowaville. Their son Joshua received a common-
school education, liut not content with such a lim-
ited store of knowledge, by reading and study in
leisure liours he acquired a fund of information
which far exceeded that of many whose advan-
tages were greatly superior to his own. His first

business venture was that of teaching. In llie
spring of 1841 lie was employed as a teacher in the
district schools of Columbiana County, where he
continued for ten j-ears. The two succeeding years
of his life he spent in teaching in Carrollton, Carroll
Countj% Ohio', after which he came to Iowa. Here
he resumed his former profession, being employed
as a teacher in lowaville and vicinity for more than
a year, when he engaged in mercantile pursuits
until the fall of 1859, when he was elected to the
office of County Judge, of Van Buren Count}', Iowa.
He entered upon the duties of the position Janu-
ary 2, 1860, and served for two years, when he was
elected Treasurer of the county, which position he
filled tor ten consecutive years, being four times
re-elected to tliat office, the first three years of this
time he also served as Recorder. The honor thus
conferred ujjon him is one very unfiequently be-
stowed and plainly testifies to his abilitj'and faith-
fulness witli which he discharged his duties. Later
he served as Clerk of the District Court for a year,
tilling the unexpired term of J. W. Latham, wliose
death occurred while he was holding the office.

In the spring of 1873, Mr. Sloan once more em-
barked in mercantile pursuits, continuing in that
line of business until September, 1877, when he was
elected a member of the Board of Supervisors of
the count}'. He held the office three years and
during the entire time was President of the Board.
In December, 1877, he purchased an interest in the
Keosauqua Republican, a weekly journal published
at Keosauqua, of which he has since been one of
the editors and proprietors. This paper has been
placed upon a sound, financial basis as the result of
the excellent business management of the proprie-
tors, and has a wide circulation, which is constantly
increasing.

On the 14th of April, 1853, just previous to his
removal to Iowa, Mr. Sloan was united in marriage
with Miss Sarah A. Sinclair, and tlien brought his
young bride to Van Buren County. When he was
elected County Judge, they removed to Keosauqua
where they have since made their home. They
are the parents of five children yet living. The
daughters are Frances, Maggie Ella, and Hattie C.
and the sons are George and Rutledge.

Mr. Sloan became a member of the Presbyterian

480

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

C'luireh in June, 1850, and continued his connec-
tion with tliat organization until the spring of 1 872.
As tliere was no longer a house of worship in the
place of his residence, he united with the Congre-
gational Church in the spring of 1877. In his earl^-
life he was a supporter of the Democracy, but in
185G, on the organization of the Republican party
in Van Buren County, he joined its ranks and has
since been one of its stalwart supporters. He was
the first candidate of his party for the olfice of
State Representative but was defeated by ten votes,
the county. having a Democratic majority.

*5>»^« -^w^-.^<M.^^<?5tf-<5<f-

>¥/ OHN W. ROWLEY, of the firm of Sloan &
Rowley, editors and proprietors of the Keo-
sauqua liepublican^ is a native of Ohio. He
was born in New Garden, Columbiana
County, July 23, 1846, and is a son of Theodore
B. Rowley, who was born in Victor, N. Y., August
6, 1817. Coming to Ohio during childhood, Theo-
dore Rowley formed the acquaintance of Miss Em-
eline 'Watson, who vvas born in New Lisbon, Ohio,
August 5, 1820, and on the 18th of May, 1842,
they were united in marriage. Unto them were
born three children: Anna, who died in childhood;
John W.. of this sketch, and Lavina.

When a lad of eight years, with his parents, John
W. Rowley removed from New Lisbon, Ohio, to
Van Buren County, Iowa. They reached their
destination in December, 1854, and the following
spring located near Utica. Our subject received a
common-school education and for eight years, from
1867 to 1875, engaged in farming during the sum-
mer months, while the winter season was spent in
teaching. He continued his residence in the vicin-
ity of Utica until 1879. He was married to Miss
Amanda M Thompson, daughter of Elder David
Thompson, near Bonaparte, Iowa, October 27, 1868.
Siie was born in Highland County, Ohio, October
27, 1849. Three children, sons, grace their union
—Roland B., Frank W. and Clinton C. They also
lost one child, Lena A., tlieir only daughter, who

was the second in order of birth. She died on the
17th of March, 1873.

Mr. Rowley has been a member of the Christian
Church since 1867, and in i)olitics he is a stalwart
supporter of Republican principles. In 1875, he
was elected on that ticket to the position of Su-
perintendent of Schools, of Van Buren County, in
whicii lie served until January 1, 1880. On the
15th of November of the previous year he pur-
chased an interest in the Keosauqua Republican,
and in the latter part of the month removed with
his family to Keosauqua, from his farm in Cedar
Township. He is still one of the proprietors of the
paper, which is devoted to the interests of the
county and the Republican party. Its owners are
business men of merit and progressive citizens of
the community in which they make their home. In
1880 Mr. Rowley was appointed by President
Hayes to the position of United States Supervisor
of Census, having under his jurisdiction twenty
counties. Soon afterward he was appointed a mem-
ber of the State Educational Board and served four
years, most of the time acting as its Secretarj'. In
1890 he received an appointment from President
Harrison to the position of Supervisor of Census,
his territory including twenty-one counties, and in
that work he is engaged at the writing of this sketch.

ALVIN IIAYDEN DOUGHTY, a repre-
sentative farmer of Buchanan Township,
Jefferson Countj', residing on section 34,
springs from one of the early families of South-
eastern Iowa. His father, John W. Doughty, was
born in East Tennessee on the 15th of April, 1818,
and with his widowed mother removed to Sanga-
mon County, III., where he grew to manhood.
After reaching years of maturity he determined to
try his fortune beyond the Mississippi, and about
1835 made his way on foot to Heniy County, Iowa,
where his mother later joined him. There, on the
1st of December, 1836, he married Gracie A. Hut-
ton, a native of Middle Tennessee. Her birth ,

PORTRAET AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

48i

occuiTed on the IHth of February, 1822, and when
two 3'ears of age was taken b}' her parents to San-
gamon County, 111. Her father was a soldier of the
War of 1812, and in recognition of his services re-
oeived a land warrant, and after his death his wife
was awarded a pension. He was a regularly ordained
minister of the Baptist Church, but his labors in
that line were performed through love of tlie work
and not witli any desire for pecuniary aid. He
died at tlie age of seventy-two _years, but his wife
readied the very advanced age of ninety 3'ears.

In 1844 John W. Doughty came with his fam-
ily to Jefferson Count}', where he lived and la-
bored until his life on earth was brought to a close.
Politically, he was a Wliig, and botli lie and his
wife were zealous members of the Melliodist
Church, in which the}' did not a little for the ad-
vancement of the cause and the promotion of its
interests. He was not a man that sought public
recognition, but in a quiet wa}' discharged the du-
ties devolving upon him, and at the end those who
knew him said that a worthy and useful citizen had
passed away. He died on tlie iith of June, 1850,
respected by all with wliom he had come in con-
tact. Of his nine children, eight sons and one
daughter, only four are now living — Benjamin F.,
an insurance agent of Sioux City, Iowa; Mary E.,
wife of riiilip Polston, of Fairfield; Alvin S., u
minister of the Free Methodist Church; and Cal-
vin H. In 1851 the mother of this family became
llie wife of John Howard, who died August 12,
1870. By her second marriage were born five chil-
dren, three sons and two daughters. Mrs. Howard
is stillliving, surrounded by dutiful children and
many warm friends.

Calvin Hayden Doughty, the youngest of the
first family and the one in whom the citizens of
Jefferson County aj-e especially interested, is now
the owner of the old homestead in Buchanan Town-
ship. He was born in Cedar Township, on the 5th
of January, 1849, and here has spent his entire
life. At that early day schools were of a poor
grade, and even then lie was permitted to attend
but little. From the time he was twelve years of
age he made his own way in the world, and on the
5th of October, 1864, although but a lad of six-
teen years, he enlisted in his country's service in

Springfield, 111., whither he had gone with Com-
])any C, of the .Second Illinois Light Artillery.
His command did duty at Ft. Donelson until the
3d of August, 1865, when he received his discharge
ill Springfield.

Shortly afterward Mr. Dought}' returned to Jef-
ferson County, and on the 13th of December, 1866,
he was joined in marriage with Mary O., daughter
of Abraham and Catherine (Bradshaw) Standford.
She was born in Batavia, this county, November 3,
1848, and is an estimable lad}' whose circle of
friends is indeed large. The young couple began
their domestic life where they still make their
home, and their family consists of an adopted son,
Mark Doughty, who married Emma Haifley, by
whom he has one child, Calvin H.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Doughty are members of the
Free Methodist Church, and he also belongs to the
Old Settlers Society. In politics he is a Repub-
lican, having supported that party since casting his
first vote for Gen. Grant. He is now the owner
and operator of a fine tract of land of one hundred
and eighty acres, and since attaining to mature
years he has pursued farming and stock-raising ex-
clusively and successfully, never turning aside to
mingle in trade or politics. The years which have
passed over his head since his return from the war
have been years of fair prosperity, and he is now
numbered among the substantial citizens of Jeffer-
son Couniy, a place which he has gained through
his own effort.

-^'-^-^-

ANIEL C. PETTITT, dealer in farming
implements at Birmingham, is another of the
prominent business men of Van Buren
County who deserves mention in this volume. As
he is widely and favorably known the record of
his life, which is as follows, will be received with
interest by our readers. Clark County, Ind.. was
his birthplace and on the 17th of August, 1843, he
first opened his eyes to the light of day. His
father, George R. Pettitt, was born in Indiana,

482

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

November 11, 1816, and his wife, whose maiden
name was Martha J. Davis, and who was a native
of Kentucky, was about two years his junior.
Having married, they l)egan tlieir domestic life in
Indiana, which continued to be tlieir home until
1844, at which time they crossed the Mississippi
into the Territory of Iowa. They located in Van
Buren County and Mr. Pettitt is still a resident of
Birmingham, hut in 1883 he was called upon to
mourn the death of his wife.

Onr subject is one of a family of three children. -
His early life was unmarked by any event of special
importance, for midst play and work and in attend-
ing the district schools his boyhood days were
spent. However, at the age of eighteen years he
entered the service of his country. He had watched
with interest the progress of events in the South
but at the beginning of the war was too j'oung to
respond to the country's call for aid, but on the
9th of March, 1862, lie enrolled his name among
the boys in blue of Company H., Third Iowa
Cavalry. The two following years were spent
mostly in skirmishing in Missouri and Arkansas.
While stationed at Mexico, Mo., Daniel and an-
other boy went to get the former's horse which liad
run awa}', as they supposed, to a farm about tvvo
miles distant, but on reaching that place they
learned that he had gone on some thirteen miles.
Starting forward again, they met the rebel com-
mander, Purcell, whom they did not know, and
who told them where to find the horse. His
directions proved correct, but while returning the
lads found a squad of rebels in ambush. Without
a word the enemy arose and fired. Both horses
dropped dead and the boys started to run but
almost in another moment Mr. Pettitt's comrade
fell pierced by twelve bullets. Seeing that it was
impossible to escape, he then surrendered without
receiving a scratch. Afterwards he was paroled
and started to join his command. While return-
ing he met an ambulance containing two coffins
which were for himself and friend, as his comrades
had heard that both were dead and glad they were
to find that one was not needed. On the 1st of
January, 1864, Mr. I'ettitt veteranized and was
tiierefore granted a furlough. When the time had
expired he went to Memi)liis, 'I'enn., where he was

attached to A. J. Smith's corps and participated
in the battles of Guntown, Tupelo and Oxford.
He spent part of the winter in Louisville, Ky., and
then, newly equipped, started on the Wilson raid,
in which he took part in the engagements of Monte
Valley, Plantersville, Selma and Columbus, Ga.
He was mustered out at Atlanta .and discharged
August 20, 1865, at Davenjjort, after serving three
y ars and eight months.

When liis country no longer needed his services
jlr. Pettitt returned to Birmingham and for a short
time engaged in the butchering and grocery busi-
ness, after which, for some fourteen years, he de-
voted himself to freighting, his efforts in that line
being attended with considerable success. He also
dealt in walnut timber until 1886, when he engaged
in his present business as a dealer in agricultural
implements. Four j-ears in that line have served
to bring him a good trade, and his fair dealing and
good business management have won him the con-
fiilence and respect of the communitj-.

On the 31st of October, 1867, Mr. Pettitt was
joined in wedlock with Miss Sarah J. Deal, a native
of Pennsylvania. One child was born unto them
but died in infancy, but they have an adopted
child, Iva M. Mrs. Pettitt is a member of the
Methodist Church. He is a Republican in politics
and has served as Marshal, Constable and City
Recorder. He is a member of the Old Settlers
Societj' and an honored member of Perry A. Newell
Post, N(5. 232, G. A. R. His social standing and
business record make him one of the prominent
and influential citizens of Birmingham.

;?ILEY A. JONES, M. D., Justice of the
Peace and medical pr.actitioner, of Cantril,
^^ has for some fourteen years been engaged
in the practice of his profession at this place.- His
residence in Iowa, however, covers a period of
fortj'-five 3'ears and he is numbered among the
pioneer settlers of Jefferson County.

The Jones family of which our subject is a de-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

483

scendanl is of Welsh origin and was founded by his
great-grandfiitlier, who, in 1750, left Wales, his
native land, and crossed the Atlantic to this coun-
trj-. Horatio Jones, the grandfather of /.he Doctor,
served as a drummer in the War of 1812. He set-
tled in North Carolina, where he married, but in
1813 he left that State, removing to Virginia
where he made his home until 1830. Accompanied
by his family he then took up his residence in In-
diana, where he died in 1860, at the age of sev-
enty-six years. He followed farming throughout
his entire life, meeting with good success in his
undertaking. His son, William C, father of our
subject, was born in Surrey County, N. C, July
9, 1809, but was reared to manhood in Virginia,
and at the age of twenty-one years accompanied
the family to Indiana. In 1830 he was united in
marriage with Miss Permclia A. Vaughn, who was
born in Prince Edwards County, Va., October 3,
1811, and was a daughter of William Vaughn. She
was also descended from good old Revolutionary
stock. Six children were born of their union —
Isaac D., William H., Cornelius A., Martin V. B.,
Wiley A. and Elizabeth. After locating in Indiana,
Mr. Jones followed fanning for a livelihood and
gave considerable attention to political affairs. He
served as Sheriff and Treasurer of Johnson County
for six years, from 1838 until 1844; was census-
taker in 1840,and after removal to Jefferson County,
served in 1849 as School Fund Commissioner
and in 1860 was census-taker for the eastern half
of the county. He is still living in Fairfield, where
he is numbered among the leading and valued citi-
zens. He still takes an active interest in anything
pertaining to the county's welfare and is a con-
tributor to the county paiiers. In 1889 he was
called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, a most
estmable lady who died on the 18th of October.

Wiley A. Jones was born in Franklin, Johnson
County, Ind., March 10, 1 840, and was the fifth in
order of birth in the family, but only five years of
his life were spent in his native count}'. In 1845
the family came to Iowa, and upon a farm south-
east of Fairfield he was reared to manhood. In his
youth he received such educational advantages as
the common schools afforded, but not content with
such privileges he determined to pursue a more

extended course of study, and to this end, when
seventeen years of age he began teaching in the
district schools. By this method he was enabled
to attend the Fairfield University, where he con-
tinued his studies for a year. He then again taught
school until 1860, when he began fitting himself for
the medical profession under the direction of Dr.
N. Steele, with whom he pursued his studies until
1864. He then began practicing in Primrose, Iowa,
where he remained until the fall of 1865, when, in
order to further fit himself for his chosen work, he
attended tiie Medical University, of Ann Arbor,
Mich. He pursued a full course of study in that
institution and was graduated in 1867, after which
he located in Glasgow, Jefferson County. In a few
months, however, he removed to Winchester, Van
Buren County, where he continued practice for four
years with fair success. His next place of residence
was Fairfield, where for six years he carried on the
drug business. Selling out in 1876, he came to
Cantril and with the interests of this city has since
been identified.

The Doctor was married, on the 9th of April,
1867, to Miss Altha Miller, daughter of Thomas
and Eliza (Moore) Miller and a native of Jefferson
County, born May 3, 1847. Unto them were born
eight children, but only four are now living: Myrta,
wife of W. W. Blanchard, of Milton; Isaac T., Car-
rie and Neal P. The Doctor, Mrs. Jones and the
two eldest children are members of the Christian
Church, and he is a charter member of Apollo
Lodge, No. 461, A. F. & A. M., and Charter Mas-
ter. In political sentiment he is a Democrat and
has held several local offices, including that of
Justice of the Peace and Notary Public, of both of
which he is the present incumbent. The cause of
education has ever found in Dr. Jones a warm friend
and during the twelve years in which he served as
School Director he did effective service for that
cause. The efHciency of the Cantril schools is due
in no little measure to his untiring efforts in their
behalf, and other worthy public interests have re-
ceived from him a like hearty support and co-op-
eration. Among his other official duties he held
the office of Postmaster under President Cleve-
land's administration and administered the affairs
of the office to the satisfaction of all concerned.

484

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Until within a few years past tbe Doctor had one
of the largest practices of any man in tlie profes-
sion in the county, but physical disabilities have
caused liim to lay aside tbe more arduous duties
connected with the work. In August, 1885, he was
stricken with rheumatism and for six months was
utterly helpless. In Februarj-, 1888, he slipped on
the sidewalk and fractured his left arm, and on
the 19 til of May of the same year he w.as tiirown
from his buggy, his liorse running away, and tlie
arm was rebroken, together with both collar bones.
The Doctor has the respect of the entire community
and the esteem and good will of many friends.

^ETER COUNTRYMAN, deceased, was born
in Somerset County, Pa., on the 28th of No-
vember, 1808, where he grew to manhood.
Having attained to mature years, he tiiere
married Mary Berkley, a native of the same county,
born in 1809. About 1832, they removed to Tus-
carawas County, Ohio, where they continued to re-
side some twelve years, arriving in Iowa in 1844.
Their destination was Van Buren Count^^, and they
made a location in Lick Creek Township, where
Mr. Countryman engaged in farming, although by
trade he was a cabinet-maker. Throughout his en-
tire life he supported the Democratic principles,
and served acceptably as Township Trustee. As
consistent members of the Lutlieran Church, both
he and his wife lived upright Christian lives, and
died in tlie failh which had been their guide for
many years. Mr. Countryman was called to his
final rest in 1867, and in 1873 his wife also passed
away. Unto them was born a family of eleven chil
dren, nine of whom grew to mature years, while
eight of the number yet abide, namely: Hosiah, a
cabinet-maker of Birmingham ; Sarah, wife of James
Ferrel, a resident of Lick Creek Township; Lucy is
the widow of John Boyd; William and Michael,
twins, are farmers of Jefferson and Van Buren
Counties, respectively; George W. is the next

younger; Frank is a farmer of Jefferson County;
and Noah devotes his time to the same pursuit in
Van Buren County.

George W. Countryman is the only member of
tlie family who has devoted himself to mercantile
life. He was born in Lick Creek Township, on the
6th of January, 1849, and his early life was passed
in the usual manner of farmer lads, aiding in the
work of the home farm during the summer season,
and attending the common schools of the neighbor-
hood during the winter months. He remained at
home until twenty years of age, after which he
worked at carpentering for two years with his
brother, and for a year was in the employ of W. B.
Tatman. He embarked in business for himself in
1873, when he opened a furniture store at Douds
Station, but in the fall of the following j'ear he
disposed of his interest, and going to Ottumwa,
entered the employ of a man engaged in the manu-
facture of show cases. In 1875, he came to Bir-
mingham and purchased a small stock of furniture,
beginning operations in a one-story frame build-
iug 16x60 feet, but increased patronage and in-
creased facilities forced liim to make an addition to
the establishment, whicii he extended until it cov-
ered all of his ground. In 1887 he built his pres-
ent store where he now does business, the dimen-
sions of which are 22x82 feet, and two stories in
iieight, in addition to which he also has a coffin
room 20x20 feet. In November, 1889, Mr. Coun-
tiyman admitted to partnership in the business, C.
G. Miller. The firm has now one of the best stocks
of furniture in this part of the State, and constantly
increasing patronage rewards their business enter-
prise.

On the 13tli of April, 1873, Mr. Countryman was
united in marriage with Miss Lee A. Chalfant, who
was born in Ohio, and with her parents came to
this county when three years old. They have an
interesting family of four children, two sons and
two daughters — Charlie C, George C, Nellie A.,
and Jessie L. The mother is an Adventist in re-
ligious belief. In political sentiment Mr. Country-
man is a Republican, and has served as a member
of the City Council of Birmingham. He deserves
not a little credit, for his success in life is due to
his industrious efforts and good management. When

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

485

he began business for liimself at Douds Station, he
purcliased only $300 worth of stock, and for that
had to give his note, but now he not only owns the
excellent store before mentioned, but in addition
eighty acres of land pay tribute to him, besides
some town property, and he is also engaged in ship-
ping walnut lumber. Mr. Countryman has lived in
Van Buren County for some forty-one years, and
is accounted one of the leading business men of
Birmingham.

/p^EORGE B. WALTZ, one of Fairfield's es-
||| |_^ teemed citizens, was born in Mem[jhis,
%J3[( Tenn., December 5, 1844. His father, Job
Waltz, was a native of Pennsylvania, and after
his marriage to Mary Palmer, located in Memphis,
where he was eng.aged in hotel keejjing until
his death, in 1848. He was taken away in the
prime of life, being only about thirty-nine years
of age. Afterward his widow married Charles
Fowler, with whom she emigrated to Muscatine,
Iowa, in 1850. She died in Columbus City, at the
age of thirty-nine. By her first marriage she had
two sons — George B. of this sketch; and Henrj- C.
who served nearly three years in Company A, of
the Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, and since the war
has been steamboat engineer on the Mississippi
River. By her second husband there is one living
child.

George B. W":illz, being the eldest of the family,
early had to begin making his way in the world
and with no capital save a determination to suc-
ceed and a young man's bright hope of the future,
he started out in life for himself. Until the break-
ing out of the war he worked among the farmers
in the vicinity of his home, but when the first com-
pany' was raised in JIuscatine County, filled with
patriotic impulses and a fervent desire to aid in
the suppression of the Rebellion, he volunteered
his services, but as he was not quite up to the stand-
ard height, being then but a boy, he was rejected.
As each successive company was raised he tried
to enter its ranks but every attempt was unsucess-

ful until August 26, 1862, when he donned the
blue as a member of Company- C, F^leventh Iowa
Infantry. He served as snare drummer until re-
ceiving his discharge and his entire service was
under the master generals, Grant and Sherman.
After the capture of Vicksburg, his command was
stationed at that place to do post duty. A vet-
eran furlough was given and tliej' were then
transferred to the army of the Cuml}erland, assist-
ing in the capture of Atlanta and then participa-
ting in the famous march to the sea. When Fort
McAllister was being beseiged by Shei'man, a part
of his forces was cut off by a large swamp and to
go around this required a march of some twenty
miles. Across it, a dam was thrown up but the
rebel guns were planted so as to sweep it. How-
ever, some fifteen miles would be saved and speedy
assistance given to the besiegers if they could but
bear up under the iron hail of the rebel guns. It
was determined to make the test and Mr. Waltz's
comjiany was the first to run that terrible gauntlet.
Going on to Washington, the notes of his drum were
there heard in the Grand Review, after which he re-
ceived his discharge, after having faithfull.y served
his country for three years.

Returning to Muscatine, Mr. Waltz learned the
plasterer's trade which he has since made his bus-
iness. In that city, on the 28th of May, 1867, he
married Charlotte I. George, who was born in Ohio,
December 15, 1848, and when two years old was
brought by her parents, Wesley and Sarah (Iloutz)
George, to Muscatine. Iowa. Her father died in
Louisa County, Iowa, in June 1890, at the age of
seventy-five years, his wife who is still living in
that county, has reached the age of sixty-nine
3'ears. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Waltz were born two
children — Harry W. who died at the age of two
years; and 8. Minnie.

The year 1868 witnessed the arrival of Mr.
Waltz in Fairfield, where he has since made his
home. He has alwa3s taken an active part in
political affairs and is a stalwart supporter of Re-
publican principles. In the county convention of
1888, his name was considered in connection with
the office of Recorder of Deeds; he failed of nom-
ination but defeat did not sour him or cause him
to aid the opposition. Again in 1800, he was

486

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

brought forward for the same position and came
out triumphant. As he has always been a jjronipt,
honorable and conscientious man in his own bus-
iness affairs, it need not be feared that he wil 1 ne-
glect those of the people.

F. SUMMERS, M. D., physician ajid sur-
geon of Milton and the senior partner of
ii^^ the firro of Summers & Rice, druggists, is
also a member of the Milton Hardware Coniiiany.
It will readily be seen that he is one of the leading
and representative business men of Milton and as
such we are pleased to record his sketch in this vol-
ume. He was born in Scotland County, Mo., Aug-
ust 17, 1849, and is a son of David and Alice
(Stevens) Summers. His fatlier was a native of
Greenbrier County, Va., born about the year 1812,
and in early life went to Missouri. He was a mill-
wriglit by trade and erected one of the first grist
mills in Scotland County, and for many years also
engaged in farming. Mrs. Summers, tlie mother of
our subject, was born in Decatur, HI., in 1825, and
removed with her parents to Missouri in girliiood,
becoming acquainted with Mr. Summers in Scot-
land County, where their marriage was celebrated
and where she still resides. They were parents of
four children, twosonsand two daughters, of whom
tlje eldest is tlie Doctor; Lois E., is the wife of J. C.
Yenter, of W,asliington; Amanda L., is the wife of
James Douglas, of Scotland County, Mo. ; David,
married Laura Hammond and is a farmer of Scot-
land County.

Mr. Summers, continued to reside in that county
until hisdeatli which occurred in 1852. His wife
survives her husband and is still a resident of that
county. She was married again in 1858, to John
Rico, a fMvmer by occupation, and of the second
marriage six children were born, five sons and a
daughter. Clora A., the eldest, is the wife of Chip-
man A. Van Dyke, of Oregon; Charles H., married
Ellen Beswick, and resides near Jlemphis, Mo.;
William H. is single and makes iiis liome in the

same place; John A., wedded Miss Mary Graves

rxnd is a member of llie drug firm of Summers &
Rice, of Milton; Alliert A., married Miss Arwilda
Ruse, and resides near Mempliis, ISIo. ; Grant, who
completes the family, is a member of the Milton
Hardware Company. Mr. Rice Sr., father of the
above named children, was a soldier in the Union
Arm3- during the late war, serving in Company M,
Twelfth Missouri Cavalry, and died in the hospital
in Indianapolis, Ind., iu 1864.

Dr. Summers received his primary education in
the public schools, after which he pursued a par-
tial course in the Memphis College, of Memphis,
Mo. Having determined to make the practice of
medicine his life work, in 1872 he became a stu-
dent in the Keokuk Medical College, but did not
complete the course. The same j-ear he spent six
mouths in practice in tiie Marine Hospital, at St.
Louis. The following year he came to Milton and
opened an office but subsequently returned to the
Keokuk Medical College,and after a course of study
was graduated in the class of 1876. He continued
practice in Milton and in 1878 openei a drug store
in that plac-e which he carried on alone until 1880,
when J. A. Rice was admitted to parfnership, a con-
nection which continues until the present writing
iu the fall of 1890. In 1888, the Doctor became
associated with others in the organization of the
Milton Hardware Compan}', which is now one of
the important mercantile houses in the count}'.
In addition to his other business interests he is pro-
prietor of a fine stock farm of two hundred and
forty acres lying two miles southwest of Miiton. He
breeds sheep and horses extensively, making a
specialty of road horses.

On the 7th of March, 1876, in Milton, Dr. Sum-
mers, was united in marriage with Miss Nettie Bell,
who was born near Delphos, Ohio, and is a daugh-
ter of Freeman Bell. Four cliildren were born of
their union, three daughters and a son — Mabel Al-
ice, Jessie Bell, Etta Catherine and Loyd Freeman.
Mrs. Summers, is a member of the Blethodist Church
and a lady of culture, having many friends in the
community. The Doctor is a Republican in poli-
tics. He is an enterprising and successful business
man, who by his own efforts his accumulated a val-
uable property, and in his piofession he has won a

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

487

prominent place as physician and surgeon and lias
liiiilt up au extensive practice. For seventeen
3'cars Dr. Summers lias been known to the people
of Van Buren and adjacent counties, and during
that time liis course has been such as to win the re-
spect and esteem of all with whom he has had bus-
iness or social relations.

lATT HUFFMAN, a lumber dealer of Bir-
mingham, is one of tlie few pioneers left to
tell the story of Van Buren County as it
[(i0) was lift^'-three years ago. He is also num-
bered among the early settlers of the State, for
Iowa's citizens were then numbered among the
population of the Territory of Wisconsin, and in
numbers they were few, living mostly along the
Mississippi river, or where a waterway would serve
to connect them in some degree with the outside
world. The greatest gratitude from the people of
to-day, and from coming generations is due those
honored pioneers who laid the foundation upon
which was reared the vast structure now known as
Iowa, a State which is on a par in many respects
with the oldest States of the East, and of which its
citizens are justly proud.

Mr. Huffman is a native of New Albany, Ind.,
and a son of Burke and Mary (Miller) Huffman.
His paternal grandfather emigrated from Ger-
man}', and settled at an early day in North Caro-
lina, where his father was born in 171)1. When a
3'oung man the latter emigrated westward, locating
in New Albany, Ind. He wedded Mary Miller, a
native of Kentucky, who was aliout ten years his
junior. Her parents were of Scotch-Irish extrac-
tion. Having married, Mr. Huffman devoted him-
self to farming in Indiana, which he followed until
1836, when, accompanied by his family he started
for Iowa, proceeding down the Ohio and up the
Mississippi River to Ft. Madison. The follovving
March he made a location in what is now Lick
Creek 'J'ownshi|), Van Buren County, where he
took a claim of two hundred and eighty acres,

which he entered as soon as it came into market.
The Indians were far more numerous than tlie
white settlers, and the noted chief. Black Hawk, was
often a visitor at his home. He had to go to Rock
River to mill, the nearest market was on the Mis
sissippi, and other disadvantages of a similar na-
ture formed a part of his pionew- experience. Un-
til 1855 Mr. Huffman was a Democrat, but among
the first that espoused the Republican principles he
identified himself with the i)arty and continued to
support it with his ballot until his death, which
occurred in 1859. The following year his wife,
who was a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, was called to her final rest. They led
quiet yet useful lives, and reared a family of eleven
children who became respected and valued mem-
bers of the community in which they made their
homes. Barbara A., the eldest of the nine who
grew to mature j'ears, married Moses Stanley, now
deceased, and resides at Unionville, Iowa; James
M., is a hotel-keeper in Montana; Samuel Served
in the Second Iowa Infantry, was wounded at Ft.
Donelson, and after his return died from a cold ;
(5eorge W. is a fruit-grower of California; Hiatt
is the next younger; Mrs. Mary E. Bishop is said
to have been the first white girl born in Van Buren
County ; Capt. John W., who is now engaged in
mining in Custer Cit}-, Idaho, served in the late
war. was taken prisoner at Missionary Ridge and
incarcerated in the Libby prison ; Fred B., is fol-
lovv'ed by Robert, the youngest, who served in the
Fifth Iowa Infantry', was also captured at Mission-
ary Ridge, and died in Andersonville prison.

We now come to the personal history of our
subject who was reared as a farmer lad, acquiring
his education in the pioneer schools of that day,
and at the age of eighteen 3'ears began life for him-
self. Those who sought homes on a frontier were
usually not in very prosperous circumstances, and
could give their children little assistance. So it
was with Mr. Huffman, who from the time
he left the parental roof was dependent upon
his own exertions. On the 19th of February,
1877, having chosen Miss Vitula R. Goodall as a
helpmate on life's journey, |}e led her to the mar-
riage altar. Slie w.'is born in Van Buren County,
August 11, 1838, her father licing William Good-

488

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

all,' one of the earl}' liolel-keepers of Fairfleld.
They began their domestic life in this count}-, but
in 1862, with their children, thej' started to Ore-
gon, making the journey in a wagon drawn by an
ox-team. For some five years they carried on a
hotel in Auburn, after whicii they returned lo Iowa
by way of the Nicaurauga route. In 1867, Mr.
Huffman began merchandising in Birmingham as a
partner of K. Pitkin, which connection continued
eioht years, when Mr. Pitkin withdrew. In 1877
the store willi all its contents was burned, causing
considerable loss. Mr. Huffman then devoted him-
self to the management of his farm until 1881,
since which time he has been engaged in the lumber
business in Birmingham. He yet owns some one
hundred acres of land adjoining the corporation
limits of this place.

Mr. Huffman is a Republican in politics, and a
stalwart suiiporter of the party principles. He
cast his first vote for John C. Fremont, in 1856,
and each election day finds him ready to deposit a
ballot in support of the Republican candidate.
While in Oregon he held the office of Sheriff of
Baker County for one term, and has been Mayor
and Councilman of Birmingham. Both he and
his wife are zealous workers and faithful members
of the Methodist Cluucli.

Their family nuuibers three children — Mortimer,
residing near Wymore, Neb., has charge of the
bridges for the Burlington & Missouri Railroad ;
Mary L. is at home; and Ira B. is station agent at
Stoddard, Neb.

-^^— ^

|7 ACOB STONG, a pioneer settler of Van
Buren County, is engaged in general mer-
chandising in Kilbourn, where he is doing a
good business, his sales amounting to $7,000
a year. His enteiprise and thrift have won him a
place among the leading merchants of the commun-
ity and his business is an important addition to its
mercantile interests.

Mr. Stong is descended from an early New

England family. His grandfather Philip Stong,
was born in German}- where he learned the trade of a
millwright, and with his parents came to this coun-
try locating in Pennsylvania. The father of our
subject was born in 1790, in Chester County, Pa.
In 1825, at the age of tbirty-tive years, he was mar-
ried in Lancaster County, Pa., to Miss Mary
Stageis who was born in that county in 1806.
Twelve years later in 1837 he came to Iowa and
entered three hundred and sixty acres of land in
Lick Creek Township, which tract now comprises
what is known as the Anson place. After making
a contract for the erection of a house, he returned
to Pennsylvania in order to dispose of his business
interests in that State. He sold his farm for *20,-
000 and received an additional ■'j'5,000 for (lersonal
property. In 1838, accompanied by his wife and
four children, lie again made the journey to the
Territory of Iowa and settled upon the land which
he had previously located. For two years they re-
sided in a log cabin, surrounded by many Indians
while the wild game which was quite plentiful fur-
nished tliem many a meal. It is no easy task to
transform the raw prairie into a higbly cultivated
farm, but Mr. Stong and his sons performed that
labor and at the time of his death he was the owner
of two hundred acres of fertile land whicli yielded
him a good income. He possessed business ability
1 of a high order, was sagacious and far-sighted and
as the result became a wealthy man. Many hard-
ships and difficulties were endured by the family
during the early history of the county, for even
wealth could not always procure the necessaries of
life for the markets and mills were so far distant
that it was often almost impossible to reach them.
On one occasion the family lived on boiled corn
for a week and for a whole year their bread was
made of rye flour. Mr. Stong was a Democrat in
politics and filled a number of minor official posi-
tions. He was a faithful and valued citizen and in
the War of 1812 defended the stars and stripes.
His death occurred August 12, 1859, and his wife
died in 1864. Six children, five growing to mature
years, were born unto them — John who w.as born
in Pennsylvania, was killed at the coal bank of
Centerville, in 1880; Joseph is now engaged in
farming in Kansas; Jacob is the next 3'ounger; Mrs.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

489

Sarah Maxwell and Mrs. Susanna Shatfer are also
residing in Kansas, and Sylvaniadied in infanc}'.

Our subject was but two j'ears of age at the time
of the emigration of tlie family to Iowa, where he
has since made his liome. While en route for tlie
West the boat on wliich they had taken passage ex-
ploded and his father was knocked down although
not seriousl}' injured, but thirteen men on board
were killed. Jacob helped to clear and develop the
homestead farm and shared with the family the
privations of pioneer life. He remembers many
incidents of interest concerning those early days,
which if thej' could be given in detail would make
an instructive and exciting story. On one occasion
twelve chiefs in full Indian dress came to their
house and demanded entertainment for the night.
They were accommodated on the floor, for the
homes of that day usually had no s[)are beds. Dur-
ing the night one of the children called for watci
several times, but the hired girl with whom the little
one vvas sleeping was afraid to get upon account of
the Indians. The mother heard the call and aro.se
to get the water and in order to hand it to her child
she had to reach over the girl, who seeing the arm
stretched across her, thought it was an Indian
about to cut her throat and screamed at the top of
her voice; in fact, could hardly be pacified. The
Indians however gave no heed to the occurrence
and in the morning left for other scenes, having
molested nothing.

The primary education of our subject was ac-
quired in the subscription schools, which he at-
tended only in the winter season as his services
were needed upon the farm in summer. This did
not satisfy him however and at the age of twenty-
six, with an earnest desire to overcome the lack of
education, he attended select schools at Mt. Pleas-
ant and Ashland. Subsequent reading, experience
and observation have also added greatly to his
store of knowledge and he is now a well informed
man. He tanght two terms of school and then
worked at the carpenter's trade for some time. On
March 29, 1H63, he was united in marriage with
Miss Cynthia A. Ranard, a native of Indiana, born
March 5, 1844, and their union has been blessed
with eight children — Myrtis, who was born March
6, 1864, and is now the wife of D. Skinner, of I>ick

Creek Township, Van Buren County; Frances A.,
born December 13, 18G5, is the wife of James
Elrick, a merchant of Pittsburg; Alice, born Feb-
ruary 28, 1868, is the wife of Oscar Short, of Lick
Creek Township; Benjamin, born March 29, 1870,
is cmi)lo3'ed as salesman in a stoi-e at Pittsburg;
Emma J., born October 25, 1871, is the wife of
Oscar Hootman; Jesse, born April 18, 1874; Ernest
L., February 2, 1878, and Stephen. June 9, 1884,
are at home.

Immediately after his marriage, Mr. Stong era-
barked in business as a cabinet maker, opening a
shop in Kilbourn, where he carried on operations
for twelve years. In 1875 he began his present
business of general merchandising which he has
since continued. His stock at the beginning was
valued at only -*!300, but now his annual sales
amount to S<7,000 and a branch store at Pittsburg
yields him S2,500 per year. Mr. Stong carries only
the best grades of goods, which in addition to his
genial and affable manner has secured him his
liberal patronage. He is a valued citizen and for
three years served as Assessor. He cast his first
Presidential vote for Stephen A. Douglas, has since
sup|)orted the Democracy and has frequently at-
tended the county conventions of his party, as a
delegate. His wife is a member of the Methodist
Church and a lady possessing many excellencies of
character.

•^OHN ANDREW KRAMER, a highly res-
pected citizen and leading farmer of Lo-
cust Grove Township, Jefferson County,
J was born near Stuttgart, Germany, in 1820,
and was the oldest son in the family of Jacob and
Johanna(Notz) Kramer. The days of his boy-
hood and youth were spent at home, and in accord-
ance with the laws of his native land he was for
nearly' six years in the army. Wishing to better his
condition and believing the opportunities afforded
by the old world were inferior to the privileges of
the new and more ra[iidly growing Western

490

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Hemisphere, he resolved to try his fortune in
America and suiting the action to the word
he crossed tlie Atlantic in 1846. He made his
(\vii location in Pennsylvania but resided in var-
ious places until 1848, at which time he en-
tered one hundred and sixty acres of land in
Jefferson County, Iowa, on a land warrant re-
ceived for services in the Mexican War. Hardly
had he reached this country before he entered its
service, in November 1846, for the war against
Mexico, and was assigned to Company E, of the
First Pennyslvania Regiment. He continued with
his command until the following Marcli, when at
the siege of Xera Cruz, he was wounded by a shell
on the inside of his right knee which caused paral-
3sis of the entire right side, resulting in total deaf-
ness and blindness of the right ear and e3-e. On
account of the injuries sustained he was discharged
on the 16th of May, 1847. His service in the
German Army had fitted him for the struggle here
and he did effective work until disabled as above
mentioned.

After being mustered out, Mr. Kramer returned
to Pittsburg, Pa.; and the j-ears between 1849 and
l.s.'G he spent in the Keystone State and Iowa.
In the latter year he made a permanent location
in Jefferson County, wliere he has since carried on
farming and stock raising. He was married in
Pillsburg to Miss Margaret Schnouder, a native
of (iermauy, and their union, which was celebrated
in 1849, has been blessed with a family of three
children, one son and two daughters — Andrew
vvlio makes his home in Madison Countj', Iowa;
Catherine who is living in Jefferson Count}' and
Matilda who is still at home. Mr. Kramer lost his
first wife in 1860. and the following year he was
again married, his second union l)eing with Miss
.Mary J. Sage, daughter of Harrison P. and Eliza-
beth (N.ation) Sage. Her parents were natives of
Kentucky and she was born in Knox County 111.
By this union there are eleven children and with
one exception all are living, namely: Elizabeth,
AVilliam and Henry, twins, Margaret. Israel, Jennie,
Sadie, Rosie, Mohr and Perry. Jacob, who was
the second child of the family, is now deceased but
the others are yet living.

During the late war it was Mr. Kramer's desire

to enter the service and he enrolled his name
among the boys in blue of Company H, Thirtieth
Iowa Infantry, commanded by Captain Drehr, but
on account of the injuries received in the Mexican
War he was not accepted. He is an active Dem-
ocrat in politics and a warm advocate of the party
principles. Sociallj' he is a member of the Odd
Fellows society. For thirty- four years he has
made his home in this community and by his up-
right life has gained many warm friends who value
him for his worth and appreciate his faithful dis-
charge of the duties of citizenship.

' OHN R. STEVENS has l)een manager of the
Edward Manning store, of Cantril, for the
past five years. He is a native of Van
Buren Count}', and a representative of one
of its pioneer families. His father, A. N. Stevens,
was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1808, but
when quite small was brought by his parents to the
United States. The family is of Scotch-Irish de-
scent. Having attained to mature years, Mr.
Stevens sought the hand of Miss Sallie Dcshields
in marriage. The lady is a native of Maryland
and in her maidenhood removed to Indiana w-here
she became the wife of Mr. Stevens. For several
years they continued their residence in that State,
when in 1840, they emigrated to the Territory of
Iowa, locating in Van Buren County.

John R. was born on the 8th of September, 1850,
and his early life was spent in the usual manner in
which boys pass their time. He acquired a good
common school education, after which he learned
the science of telegraphy, which business he
followed in Iowa for a number of years. In the
year 1879 he was made agent for the Chicago,
Burlington <fe Kansas City Railroad, at Cantril,
which position he occui)ied for four years when
he embarked in the drug business. Later he en-
gaged in general merchandising but sold out and
took charge of Mr. Manning's store in IBS."). The
stock is composed of general merchandise to the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

491

value of $8,000 and he is assisted in the care of
the same by one salesman.

Mr. Stevens and Miss Gettie E. Stemple were
united in the holj' bands of matrimony in 1874.
The lady was born October 28, 1858, and is a daugh-
ter of Samuel and Sarah Stemple, natives of West
Virginia. Their union lias l:ieen blessed with seven
children, as follows: Roj- A. Clarence J. Seba L.
Verne F. Nellie L. Tliayne and Bliss A.

Mr. Stevens is a member of Apollo Lo<lge, No.
461, A. F. <fe A. M. and an adherent of Republican
principles. He is an enterprising and progres-
sive citizen and tlie fidelity which he displays in
the management of the Manning store indicates
him to be a man of uprightness. His sterling
worth has won for him manj- friends and it is witli
pleasure that we record his sketch in this volume.

., : sg^J#^Ug^

^|p>^ ETER I. LABAGII is a farmer of Buchanan
JJ) Township, Jefferson County, residing on
! ■f^ section 30, where lie and his wife have a
Jl\ pleasant home and fine farm of one hundred
and two acres, also one hundred and twenty- acres
on section 22, in the same township. Although
not reared to that pursuit he lias made it a profita-
ble one. Entering upon the life of an agricul-
turalist with the same zeal and enterprise which
characterized his otiier undertakings, it soon became
evident that he would meet with success and he is
now accounted one of the substantial citizens of
the community.

The Labagli family is of German extraction and
its founder, Hendrich Labagh, the great-great-
grandfather of our subject, was born in Darmstadt,
May 7, 1693. He married PLlizabeth Lasher, who
was born in Marping, Germany, .Uine 12, 1700,
and they came to the United States prior to 1734
for Isaac Labagh, their seventh child, was born in
Hackensack, N. J., on the 20tl' of June of that
year. He married Judith Ozee, a native of France,
in New York City, in 1759, and had six children,
of whom the fourtli, Peter, who was born Novem-

ber 10, 1773, was the next in direct descent to the
father of our subject. In New York, in 1795, he
wedded Magdalene Van Alen, of Holland parent-
age. He was a minister of the German Reformed
Church and preaclied until old age compelled him
to withdraw from the ministr}', but during that
time had charge of only two parislies, having been
for more than forty years in the latter. By his first
wife lie liad three children and after her death he
wedded Maria Schoonmaker, by whom he had four
cliildren. His death occurred i-ttheage of eighty-
five years.

Isaac P. Labagh, the father of our subject, was
the third child of the first marriage. He was born
in Leeds, Green County, N. Y., on the 14th of
August, 1804, and began making preparations for
the ministry by pursuing a classical course in
Dickinson College, Penns3'lvaiiia. He further con-
tinued his studies in the theological department of
Rutgers College, of New Brunswick. His first
charge was at Rochester, N. Y., and was followed
by a pastorate at Gravesend, Long Island, after
which he withdrew from the German Reformed
Church and united with the Episcopal Church.
For several years he was a missionarj' to the Jevvs
of New York City and did an excellent work
among them. He founded and built the Episcopal
Church in Gloucester, N. J., also St. Paul's P^pis-
copal Church of South Brooklyn, N. Y., and resus-
citated Calvary Cluirch of Brooklyn which had
fallen into decay. In 1860, he removed to McIIciiry
County, HI., and established the female seminary
known as Euphemia Hall, at Marengo, with his own
means. Tno years later it was burned, losing him
some $15,000. He then went to Cairo, III., and
liuiltSt. Peter's Eipiscopal Church and in 1865 he
took charge of the church in Fairfield, Iowa. Two
years later he was placed in charge of the churches
in Albia, Russell and Chanton, Iowa, building a
house of worship in the second. Beside his pastoral
duties which covered a period of about forty years
he was also the author of many valuable papers
and articles published in religious and other jour-
nals, including Prophetic Expositions and Theo-
klosia. About 1856 he was sent as chaplain to the
American minister in Rome. His life was devoted
to the woi'k of the church and on the 29th of De-

492

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ceraher, 1869, he was called to the home prepared
for the rigliteous, dying in Fairliehl. His wife and
the mother of our subject, whose maiden name was
Mary E. Magaw, was born near Gravesend, Long
Island, October, 5, 1812, and is a member of the
same family as Capt. Magaw, of Revolutionary
fame. Her father was an extensive planter of Long
Island and was a large slaveholder. On the loth
of July, 1833, at Flatbush, Long Island, she be-
came the wife of Mr. Labagh and unto them were
born five children, three of whom are yet living —
Reginald H. is a stock broker of Chicago; Living-
stone is a resident of Pennsylvania.

Peter I. Labagh, the other of the surviving chil-
dren, is the oldest now living and the second of the
family. He was born on Long Island, April 2^
183C, and was reared at Gravesend. He received
the advantages of a collegiate education and was
well fitted by home and school training for the
duties of this life. He prepared for college in New
York City and in 1856 was graduated from the
Columbia College with the degree of A. B. Later
he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1859
in New York City where he practiced for two
j'ears. He was then engaged as teacher of the
classical branches in his father's school in Marengo,
111., antl in April, 1861. he laid aside all other
duties to become a memlier of Company I), Fif-
teenth Illinois Infantry, tliat he might aid in the
defense of his country which was imperilled by
the threatened secession of the Soutii. He enlisted
in April, 1861, on the first call for troops and
served one year as Second Lieutenant of his com-
pany, when he was forced to resign on account of
ill health. He was then employed by the Illinois
Central Railroad in Cairo. 111., to take ciiarge of
the army and navy freights, after which he re-
moved to iSIound Cit}', 111., where he was employed
as book-keeper in the navy department until the
close of the war.

The month of December, 1 8C5. witnessed the ar-
rival of Mr. Labagh in Fairfield and soon after-
ward he made a location a mile and a half east of
the city, having determined to devote his attention
to agricultural pursuits. October 10, 1866, iu
Fairfield lie married Martha I. Bright, daughter of
Nicholas M. and Isabel (Kelley) Bright. They

have become parents of seven ciiildren — Isaac H.,
a plumber of Omaha, Neb.; Steel B. wlio is associ-
ated with his brother; Mary G., Belle B., Nicholas
B., John and Martba H. The mother is a member
of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Labagh has been
a life long Democrat and socially is a member of
the G. A. R. Post of Fairfield. Widel}' and favor-
abl}' known throughout the communit}' as a repre-
sentative citizen and a man of sterling worth, he
well deserves representation in thisjvolume and it
is with pleasure that we record his sketch.

'i^^-

THOMAS TULLEY, proprietor of a meat-
market of Cantril, Van Buren County, is a
native of Pennsylviinia. He was born in
Schu3'lkill, August 15. 1847, and is a son of Thomas
and Margaret (Canfil) Tulley. His parents were
both natives of Ireland, where tiiey grew to matu-
rity and were married, after which they left the
Emerald Isle and came to America, locating in the
Keystone State, where our subject was born. The
father engaged in co.al mining for some time and
then started westward with the hope of bettering
his financial condition. He took up his residence
in St. Louis, Mo., where he opened a grocery store,
carrying on business in that line until, attracted by
the discover}' of gold at Pike's Peak, he started for
the scene of supposed wealth. He was last heard
of at Salt Lake City and a report came that he was
there taken sick and died, but it was supposed that
he was killed for his team and the money which he
carried with him. His widow ever remained true
to his memory and devoted heiself to her six chil-
dren thus left dependent upon her for support.
Catherine, the eldest daughter, is now the wife of
John Smith; Lydia wedded John A. Leas and is
living in Keokuk; Lizzie is the deceased wife of
Noah Pritchett, of Cantril; John, William and
Thomas complete the family. ]\Irs. Tulley came
with her children to Iowa in 1850, where she re-
mained until her death which occurred some twenty-
four years later. Her remains were buried in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

498

Iloskins Cemetery, and a beautiful monument
marks her last resting place, ereetert as a token of
the love whicii her children bore her.

We now take up the personal history of Thomas
Tulley, who at the early age of thirteen years be-
gan life for himself and has since made his own
way in the world. It was his desire to follow- rail-
roading and to that end he became an engine vviper
on the Wabash Road. On the expiration of a term
of apprentieesliip be was made .Ireman, and after
three years, in recognition of his efficiency and
faithfulness, he was placed in charge of an engine.
He continued railroading then for a period of
thirteen years, but at length desisted from it
at the request of his aged mother, who feared that
her boy might in that manner meet his death. In
several instances he did narrowly escape death,
having been in several wrecks, in one of which his
left wrist was crushed. During his thirteen years'
service as an engineer he was employed upon the
Wabash and the Union Pacific Railroads, and after
his return to the road, following the death of his
mother, he entered the employ of the Keokuk, St.
Louis ife Western, a branch of the Chicago, Bur-
lington A Quincy system.

At length Mr. Tulle}' permanent!}' abandoned
engineering and turned his attention to the breed-
ing of horses and jacks, purchasing a thoroughbred
Clj'de and Norman stallion and a Kentucky jack.
This business he sold out and then embarked in the
butchering business, which he followed in Illinois
until the autumn of 1881, when he came to Canlril,
Iowa. On the '22d of October, lie opened a meat-
market in Cantril and to that vocation he has since
devoted his energies. He slaughters on an average
of three cattle per week, does all his own killing,
preserves his own meats and has a good trade.
Considering the disadvantages under which he la-
bored in early 3'ears, he has met with excellent
success in his business career which is due to his
thrift and industry.

In 1874, Mr. Tulley wedded Louisa J. Struble,
who was liorn in Van Buren County in 1863, and
is a daughter of .Jacob and Louisa Struble, natives
of Germany. Five children grace their union and
the family circle yet remains unbroken. In order
of birth they are as follows: John, F. Clare, Speed,

Bessie and Rutledge L. Mr. Tulley is one of the
active members of the Methodist Ciiurch, is one
of the Board of Directors under whose manage-
ment the house of worship was erected, and to the
support of the Gospel he gives liberal!}'. As every
true citizen should do, he feels an interest in po-
litical affairs, liis views being in harmony with the
principles of Democracy. He is a member of the
City Council, which jiosition he has filled five years
to the satisfaction of all concerned. In civic so-
cieties, Mr. Tulley takes considerable interest and
is an honored member of several organizations.
He belongs to Apollo Lodge No. 461, A. F. & A. M.,
Moore Chapter, and Commandery of Keosauqua;
also liolds membership in Prairie Gem Lodge, No.
50, I. O. 0. F., which he h.as three times represented
in the State Lodge, and also in Cantril Lodge, No.
235, K. P. He is a retired member of tlie Brother-
hood of Locomotive Engineers.

'^^:^t^it5^^^-

-»*>->->:

;ALDON PARSONS, who resides on section
25, Buchanan Township, claims the honor
of being a native of Jefferson County — and
^^s=^ it is an lionor of which few as old as he can
boast — his birth having occurred on the 11th of
April, 1839. His father, John II. Parsons, was
born in Randol|)h County, W. Va., December 22,
1806, and was of German and Irish descent. He
married Diana Parsons, who thougli of the same
name w.as not related. She was also born in
Randolph County, June 22, 181 1, and was a daugh-
ter of one of the Revolutionary heroes. The
marriage of the parents of our subject was cele-
brated December 11, 1827, and in 1836 they left
their native State, where Mr. Parsons had previ-
ously carried on farming, and started for Iowa, but
winter overtook them ere they reached their desti-
nation, one of the children was taken sick and they
determined to spend the winter in Illinois. The
husband, however, in company with Sexton Mount,
crossed the Mississi|ipi on the ice, made his way
directly to Jefferson County and near Brighton

494

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

located a claim, after which he retuined to his
family. The following April, accompanied b.v
wife and chihlren, he completed the journey to
Jefferson County and located on section 30, Lock-
ridge Township, where he built a pioneer cal)in
and began life in true frontier style. He was one
of the progressive farmers of the county and
succeeded in accumulating four hundred and eighty
acres of land. He brouglit the first reaper and the
first mower into the county, was among the first
to introduce 8hort-horn cattle and made a specialty
of raising fine stock. He also helped to make the
coffin for David Coop, the first white man buried
in the county. He served as township trustee for
several years and also one term as a member of the
Board of County Supervisors. He helped to lay
out the now flourishing citj^ of Fairfield and in
many other ways was prominently identified with
the county'.s interests and deserves no little credit
for the labors he i)ut forth for its advancement
and progress. In politics he was a life long Dem-
ocrat and both he and his wife were members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church from cliildhood.
Mrs. Parsons passed to the better land August 28,
1876, and on the 27th of November, 1882, having
survived his wife six 5'ears, the death of Mr. Par-
sons occurred. He stood in the front rank of any
enterprise for public improvement, was honored as
a citizen and friend, and in the church was one of
the most faithful and devoted workers.

To the worthy couple just mentioned was born
a family of twelve children, nine of whom lived to
mature years, were married and reared families ;
Jerome died in the prime of life ; Eugene is
engaged in farming in California ; Lucy A. is the
wife of Jeff Travis, a resident of Rooks County,
Kan.; Robert E. is a farmer of Buchanan Town-
ship, Jefferson Count}- ; Baldon is the next in
order of birth; he is followed bj' Solomon;
Rebecca is the wife of Benjamin Archibald, a
resident of Jefferson County; Mary J. is the wife
of Charles Linstrum who makes his home in Lucus
County, Iowa; and John J. is engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits in Smith County, Kan.

Our sul)ject was reared amid the wild scenes of
pioneer life and in consequence his educational
advantages were limited. He had to walk four

miles to the first scliool he attended, and after he
had attiiined a sufficient age he was compelled to
leave his studies and engage in farm labor. He
drove cattle to a plow used in breaking prairie, so
that we see the work of advancement had not yet
been carried very far forward for the land was
still in its primitive condition. Baldon remembers
having accompanied his father to mill when they
had to go all the way to Illinois to have their
bread stuff ground. This is only one instance of
many disadvantages to be borne by the early
settlers, and to them more than to any other class
of people is due the advanced position which
Jefferson County todaj' occupies. At the age of
twenty years, Mr. Parsons started out in life for
himself to make his own way in the world and
chose as a companion on life's journey Miss Mary
M. Overhulser, thtir union being celebrated on the
21st of April, 1869. The lady was born near
Dayton, Ohio, September 2, 1840, and is a daugh-
ter of Henry and Mary M. (McCormick) Over-
hulser, the former a native of Pennsylvania, the
latter of Virginia. In their j'outh they removed
with their respective families to Montgomery
County, Ohio, where they were married and in
1845 they came to Jefferson Count}', settling in
Buchanan Township. The first stove the}' owned
they gave in part paj'ment for a forty acre tract
of land, but as year by year rolled on they met with
successes which placed them in comfortable cir-
cumstances. Mr. Overhulser was a Democrat and
held a number of township offices with credit to
himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Mrs. Parsons was the sixth child in a family of
twelve children, six of whom are now living,
namely: George W., a. farmer of Marion County,
Kan.; William, a retired farmer of Fairfield ; Jacob
L. who is engaged iu farming in Madison County,
Iowa; Henry C, a resident of California; John L.,
who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Madison
County, Iowa; and James M. who follows the same
business in Buchanan Township.

Mr. Parsons and his wife have passed their
entire married life on the farm which is still their
home and four hundred and seventeen and one-half
acres of fine land, owned bjr himself and sons, now
pa}' tribute to his care and cultivation. He is also

THE NEW YOKv ,

C. E. BULL.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

497

doing a fine business as a stock-dealer, raising only
the best grades, and bas one of tlie largest and
best barns in the count}-. His home is truly a
model farm with its comfortable dwelling, good
outbuildings, improved stock, etc., and the entire
surroundings indicate the thrift and enterprise of
the owner.

Mr. and Mrs. Parsons are the pareuts of seven
children — Ira E., who wedded May Park and after
her death married Bailie E. Low; John H., George
B., Truman E., Ella, James E. and S. Delmer. The
parents and children are all members of the
Methodist Church and no famil}' in the community
is more highly esteemed. Their home is the abode
of hospitality and good will and their friends are
sure of a hearty welcome and warm reception. Mr.
Parsons cast his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas
and has since supported the Democratic part}-.
Socially, he is a member of the Old Settlers Soc'ety.
Great indeed hns been the change in bis home and
in the county in the fifty jears of his residence
here. He was a manufacturer of the greater part
of the furniture in his first home and few comforts
and fewer luxuries were found in the dwelling, but
the sun of prosperity shone upon him and he is
now one of the substantial farmers of the commun-
ity. The C'untj' has also undergone a like change
and from a wild and barren region it has been con-
verted into a region of frnitfulness, well rewarding
the efforts of those engaged in its cultivation.

^-

— ^

* '^' (1#

It_^ ON. CHANDLER E. BULL, Mayor of Mil-
ton, and a farmer and breeder and dealer in
live-stock, ranks among the progressive
and influential citizens of Van Buren
County. He is a native of Scotland County, Mo.,
born October 3, 1853, and a son of Hezekiah and
Abigail (Burris) Bull. His father was born in
Highland County, Ohio, June 22, 1827, while bis
mother is a native of Marion County, Ind. In
August, 18,50, they became residents of Scotland
County, Mo., where they yet make their home.

The subject of this sketch received his primary
education in the district schools of the neighbor-
hood and later attended the Kirksville Normal
where he fitted himself for the profession of teach-
ing. He taught four terms of school and then em-
barked in farming in his native countj', where he
continued his agricultural pursuits until 1881, which
year witnessed his arrival in Van Buren County,
Iowa. He i)urchased a farm in the southern part
of Jackson Township, near the State line, being four
and a half miles south of the city of Milton. He
has since Increased its acreage until he is now the
owner of six hundred and sixty-five acres of well-
improved land, constituting one of the finest im-
proved stock farms in Southeastern Iowa. This is
well stocked with fine grades of horses, cattle and
hogs, but he is making a specialty of breeding road-
ster horses. Other interests have also occupied the
attention of Mr Bull. In 1885, he removed to Mil-
ton but still retains the ownership of his farm, and
engaged in the lumber and grain business in com-
pany with J. D.Hollinshead as partner but later was
associated with H. C. Hill. That connection con-
tinued until July, 1890, when he sold out, since
which time he has been engaged in dealing in live
stock, making a specialty of good driving horsep.
He personally superintends the operations of his
farm and does an extensive business in the lines
before mentioned.

It was in Scotland County, Mo., that on the 1st
of December, 1875, Mr. Bull led to the marriage
altar Miss Ida Billups, daughter of Joseph Billups,
formerly of Missouri, now a resident of Milton.
Mrs. Bull was born in Scotland County, where her
family were among the earliest settlers, on the 11th
of April, 1853. One child has been born of this
union, a daughter, Minnie May, who was born in
Scotland County, Mo., on the 15th of March, 1878.

Mr. and Mrs. Bull are Universalists in their re-
ligous views. In politics, he is a Democrat and has
been chosen to various local offices of honor and
trust. He has served as Township Trustee, Treas-
urer of the Township School Board, President of
the Milton Board of Education and is the present
Mayor of the city. His faithfulness to the trust
reposed in him and the promptness with which he
discharges every duty, has m.ade him a popular

498

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

officer and won him the respect of all concerned.
Socially he is a member of Lone Star Lodge,
No. 155, 1. O. O. F.; of Aurora Lodge, No. 50, A.
F. & A. M. and of Jackson Lodge, No. 28, K. P.
JMr. Bull is recognized as one of the most enterpris-
ing and successful business men of Van Buren
County and is deservedly popular. His unpretend-
ing and affable manner, prompt and business-like
mctliods.command respect and confidence and have
won him a host of warm friends.

^fJOHN WELCH, who resides on section 31,
Buchanan Township, is one of the self-made
men of Jefferson Count}^, and the record of
his life might well be studied by raanj-
youths of today and his example of energy, per-
severance and industry' be closely followed by
them. He was born in Stark County, Ohio, Feb-
ruary 19, 1822. His father, John Welch, Sr., was
a native of Maryland, and his paternal grandpar-
ents were of Irish birth. His ancestors on his
mother's side, however, were of German birth, ami
with all their worldly effects tied up in two hand-
kerchiefs they left the Fatherland for America.
Their move proved a profitable one for they gained
a comfortable competence and became well-to-do
citizens of (Jhio. In his youth John Welch, Sr.,
removed to the Keystone State, where he became
acquainted with and wedded Miss Susanna Schus-
ter, a native of Pennsylvania. Shortly afterward
they became residents of Stark Count}-, Ohio, and
in the midst of its forests developed a large farm.
Both were members of the Lutheran Church, and
in politics Mr. Welch was a Democrat. The death
of the mother occurred in tne fifty-fifth year of
her age. and the father died at the age of seventj'-
five years. Of their family, wiiich numbered ten
children, six sons and four daughters, four are
yet living — Margaret, who resides in Indiana;
John, of this sketch; Samuel, who served in the
late war and is now a practicing physician of

Washington County, Kan.; and William, who is
living in Stark County, Ohio.

The boyhood of our subject was not one of
unalloyed pleasure. The family lived upon a
wooded farm and as soon as he was old enough he
was compelled to aid in clearing the land and other-
wise advancing the interests of the household.
His educational advant.iges were therefore neces-
sarily limited, but experience and observation have
been to him profitable teachers, and his own life
maj' be called one of success. He remained at
home assisting his father until his marriage, having
never worked but two days for wages, and then
he received but fort3'-two cents per day. Having
attained to mature years and thinking himself able
to maintain a home of his own, on the 2d of
November, 1843. he led to the marri.age altar Miss
Clarissa Chase, who was born in Columbiana County,
Ohio, July 26, 1824, and is a daughter of Josiah
and Sallie (Newman) Chase. Her parents were
married in Massachusetts and from that State
emigrated to Ohio, where they were among the
early settlers. In accordance with their profes-
sions as members of the Methodist Church, they
lived consistent Christian lives and won the re-
spect and confidence of all with whom they came
in contact. The death of the father occurred at
the age of eighty-eight j'ears, and his wife was
called to her final home in the seventy-fourth
3ear of her ag*. Mrs. Welch w.as the sixth in
their family of eight children, five of whom are
now living.

Mr. and Mrs. Welch entered upon their domes-
tic life on a farm in his native countj-, and on the
27th of August, 1854, started for Iowa. Traveling
by wagon, they reached their destination after
four weeks, and Mr. Welch made purchase of a
two hundred acre farm in Cedar Township, which
he has since sold. His home on section 31, Bu-
chanan Township, comprises two hundred and
five acres, well cultivated and improved, and he
and his family are now surrounded with all tlfe
comforts which go to make life worth the livingV
One horse and two cows, some sheep and swine,
and some household effects constituted the com-
bined wealth of himself and wife when they began
life for themselves, but step bj' step he has worked

PORTRAIT AND BIOURAPHrCAL ALBUM.

499

his wa3' upward, aided by the able assistance of his
wife, and i)io^perity has now crowned his efforts.
As stated in tlie beginning, the energy and enter-
prise which has marked his course miglit well be
taken as an example by others who, like him, have
to begin life dependent upon their own resources.
Ill his political affiliations he has been a Republican
since residing in Iowa, but previous to that time
was an advocate of Democratic principles. Both
he and his wife are members of the Methodist
Church.

To Mr. and Mrs. Welch have been born eight
children — Sarah, wife of Reuben D. Dubois; Su-
sanna, wife of .Tohn Hisel; John W., who married
Alice Stonebreaker and is eng.aged in farming in
Kansas; Amanda M., wife of Justin Snook; Clarissa
I., who died in infancy; William L., who married
Delia Templeton; Josiah C, who died at the age
of three j'ears, an:l an infant daughter, also de-
ceased.

■^AMES W. CLAPP, a leading farmer and
stock-raiser of Buchanan Township, residing
I on section 28, is a native of North Carolina.
i(^/' He was born in Guilford County, on the
2nd of June. 1836, and is a son of John and Maria
J. (Phipps) Clapp. His father was born in Guil-
ford County, on the 1st day of January, 1810, and
spent the days of his boyiiood and youth in that
neighborhood where later he married Miss Phipps
who is some nine years his junior In 1838, he re-
moved to Jennings County, Ind., with his wife and
two children, making the jouiney in a one-horse
wagon and when he had arrived at his destination
and all his traveling expenses were paid he found
that he had but thirty-five cents remaining with
which to begin life on the then western frontier.
He was an athletic man and a great wrestler. Full
of energy, he betook himself to making a farm in
the heavy beech woods and accomplished the work
which he undertook. Some sixteen years later, in
1854, he came to Jefferson Countj-, locating in
Buchanan Township, but in 1856, he removed to

Wa3-ne County, Iowa, where he and his wife still
reside. When the war broke out he equipped his
two sons, William L. and John F., for the Union
Army and himself enlisted as a member of the cele-
brated Gra3'beard regiment, in which he did valiant
service. His sympathies being heartily enlisted
with the oppressed negroes of the South, on the
formation of the Republican party which w.is
organized to prevent the further extension of
slavery, he severed his connection with the old
Whig party and joined the ranks of the new one.
Although reared in the midst of a slave holding
settlement, he was always a strong opponent of the
practice. Both he and his wife have been life-long
members of the Presbyterian Church and are
respected citizens of Wayne County.

James \V. Clapp, whose name heads this notice,
was the eldest in a family of thirteen children, five
sons and eight daughters, of whom eight, three
sons and five daughters are yet living. Being the
eldest of a numerous familj', he was in c^onsequence
obliged to assist his father in clearing the farm and
getting the land in readiness that it might yield
some returns for their efforts, and hence had little
oi)portunity for securing an education. He was
eighteen years of age when he came with his parents
to Jeffeison Count3'. He accompanied them to
W.ayne Countj- also, but soon afterwards returned
and on the 15th of February, 1861, in Buchanan
Township, he was united in marriage wilh Miss
Samantha J. McConSack, a native of Indiana, and
a daughter of John and Mary A. (Maxwell) Mc-
Cormack.

After his marriage, Mr. Clapp and his bride took
up their residence in Wayne County, where he
purchased and improved an eighty-acre farm, but
in 1864 we once more find him in Jefferson County
and since that time he has made his home in Buch-
anan Township. A self-made man, the posses-
sions which he has are the result of industry, good
management and enterprise. His farm comprises
three hundred and fifty-two and one -half acres, all
highly cultivated and im[iroved, upon which he
raises stock for market.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Clapp was blessed
with nine children, six sons and three daughters;
two daughters however died in infancy and Mary

500

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

-iA^.^mi'»w

S. died at the age of eleven years. The living are
John E., a resilient farmer of Nebraska; William
L. at home; Charles H., who is also living in Ne-
braska ; George W.; Marshall J. and Vernon H.

Mr. Clapp casts his ballot with the Republican
party and both he and his wife belong to the
Fairfield Methodist Cluirch. He is regarded as a
prominent and i:ifluential citizen of the community
but has never sought prominence through public
office preferj'ing the quiet of home life to the turmoil
of politics. He is a man well informed on all
matters of general interest and we gladlj' record
the sketch of one so widely and favorably known.

^=

I DMUND R. NORVELL, one of the early
settlers of Jefferson County, engaged in
/ji_' — ^; farming on section 32, Buchanan Township,
is a native of Kentucky. He was born on the 6tli
of .September, 1835, in Barren County, and is a son
of Edmund and Anna K. (Winn) Norvell. His
father, wiiose birth occurred near Lynchburg, Ya.,
emigrated during his boyhood to Barren County,
Ky., where he became acquainted with and wedded
Miss Winn, who was born in that county on the
16th of August, 1812. He died when about
twenty-five years of .age from liemorrhage of tlie
lungs caused by lifting at a log rolling. About
1838, the mother witli our subject, her only child,
accompanied her brother to Carthago, 111., and in
1840, she came to Van Bnren County, where she af-
terward married Charles L. Cox. wlio had located
in Van Buren County, in 1838. Three years later
they came to Jefferson County, settling in Cedar
Township. Mrs. Cox, who was a. member of the
Missionary Baptist Church, died on the 1st of Sep-
tember, 1887. Mr. Cox, who was born in Adair
Countj', Ky., November 16, 1817, and is a mem-
ber of the Christian Church, is still living.

Edmund R. Norvell, of whom we write, spent his
early life in the usual manner of farmer lads, re-
ceiving such educational advantages as were af-
forded in the old log school house, walking a dis-

tance of two and a half miles to the same. He
remained at home aiding in the labors of the farm
until he had attained his majority when he started
out in life for himself. It was his intention to fol-
low some other pursuit than that to which he had
been reared and for some eighteen months he read
law in the office of Judge Charles Negus, but health
failed him and he was forced to abandon his cher-
ished plan. In the summer of 1859, in company
with David Thompson and Ellis Woods he made a
journe}' to Colorado, locating near Central City,
where he engaged in mining for aliout two years.
He spent a part of the summer of 1860 in prospect-
ing in Southern Colorado and New Mexico, but
since his return to Jefferson County in the spring
of 1861, he has devoted his time and attention to
farming, meeting with excellent success. His farm
comprises two hundred and sixty acres, all but
twenty of which are arable and it is furnished with
all the necessary buildings and stocked with a high
grade of horses and cattle, including a herd of
eight thorough-bred Short-horns.

A marriage ceremony performed near Pittsburg,
Pa., on the 8th of February, 1864, united the des-
tinies of Mr. Norvell and Miss Leonora Shearer,
who was born in Pennsylvania, February 2, 1840.
She accompanied her parents to Jefferson County
in 1858, and was visiting in her native State at the
time of her marriage. Mr. and ISIrs. Norvell began
their domestic life upon the farm which is still their
home and their union has been blessed with four
children — Anna, who is now the wife of Jesse Van
Nostrand, a resident of Thomas County, Kan.;
Charles S. and Amanda C, who are still with their
parents; and Mar}-, the youngest, who died at the
age of four years.

Mr. Norvell is accounted one of the leading and
representative citizens of the communit}' in which
he makes his home and well deserves representation
among the prominent men of his adopteil county.
In his political afflli.ations in early life he was a
Whig, but on the dissolution of that party joined
the ranks of the Democracy. He served acceptably
for seven years as Township Clerk. Mr. Norvell
may rightly be termed a self-made man, as his pos-
sessions which place him in comfortable circum-
stances have been acquired through his own efforts.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

501

For half a century he lias been a resident, of Iowa,
and forty-seven j^ears he has spent in Jefferson
County. He is one of tlie original members of the
Old Settlers Society and is both widely and favor-
ably known.

EUG]
far
i dr6

-^¥r

UGENE MASON, one of the prominent
farmers ar.d stock-raisers, owning one hun-
Ifsz^' dred and fifty-six acres, and residing on
section 10. Des Moines Township, Van Buren
County, came to this county in 1858, having at that
time been a resident of this country for five 3'ears.
He was born in Alsace, North France, June 26.
1836, and was fourth in a family of six children,
of John and Margaret Mason, also natives of France.
His father was an extensive contractor in his native
cit}', and was recognized as one of the most promi-
nent of his time. He built some of the largest and
most extensive buildings in the district and during
the ."eason employed from five to forty men. Up
to the time of his death he was one of the promi-
nent men of his locality. He died of asthma in
1853, at the age of fifty six. His mother died in
1887 at the age of eighty- seven. Both died in
their native land. Our subject and his sister Mar-
garet are tlie only remaining members of the family.
Eugene Mason was the onlj- representative of the
family that came to this country. He was edu-
cated in tlie common schools of his native (ounti-y,
and in the summer learned the trade of masonry
and stonecutting and also that of a plasterer. At
the age of nineteen years, in company with two
companions, he left Havre, France, on an American
bound vessel, and was one iuindred and five days
making the trip. Tlie vessel was a sailer and had
four hundred and fifty passengers on board. The
yellow fever broke out among them and eight^'-six
died before they got to the West Indies, where
Eugene landed on the Island of St. Thomas. He
ascribes his escape from death to the excessive use
of cherry brandy on the voyage. In 1855 he landed
in New Orleans, where he remained a short time

and then went to St. Louis, Mo., where he engaged
at his trade, cutting stone on the courthouse and
other buildings. In the following year he went to
St. Joseph, Mo., where he remained a short time
and then returned to St. Louis but in the same year
went to St. Charles, thence to Jefferson City, and
leturning once more to St. Louis. Again leaving
the latter place he went up the river, working at
his trade in vaiious cities. He was foreman on the
contract for the building in Fort Dodge, one of the
finest structures in the West. Since his residence
in this county he has done considerable work .it
his trade. He laid the first stone work in Keosau-
qna, and has put up nearly all the large bridges of
this county, and in Ajjpanoose County built a large
Court House. He erected his own residence of
stone and brick. His farm he improved until it is
now one of the best in the county.

Mr. Mason was married in 1866, to Eliza Hohr,
a daughter of William Hohr, who was a native of
Germany. Mrs. Mason was born in Keosauqna, in
1818. her parents being among tlie early settlers of
that place. They have five children living: Carrie,
wife of Sam Steinmeyer, a resident of Keosauqua;
Lena, wife of John Heim ; Edward, Willa, and
Amelia. Mr. Mason politically is an Independent.
He is a member of Keosauqua Lodge No. 3, I. O.
O. F. His family are members of the Christian
Church. As a citizen, Mr. Mason is well esteemed
by all who know him and is a warm sup|)orter of
every enterprise calculated for the public good.

S^^RSINO D. STUBBS, residing on section 19,
Buchanan Township, Jefferson County, is su-
perintendent of the Empire Horse Ranch, one
of the leading stock farms of Southeastern Iowa. He
was born in Liberty, Ind., July 17, 1856, and when
a year old was taken by his parents, Daniel P.
and Carrie (HoUingsworth) Stubbs, to Fairfield,
Iowa, where his elementary education was received.
His early scholastic training, was, however, sup-
plemented by a course in the Denmark Academy

502

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

and the Iowa Wcsleyan Universitj', of Mt. Pleasant,
where he remaintd two years, after which he took
a course of instruction in the Brj'ant & Stratton
Business College of Chicago. One of the first en-
terprises in which he was engaged was with llie
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company,
by wliom he was employed as book-keeper for the
contractor and paymaster, as contractor on his own
account and as superintendent of construction for
others. He remained with the company for eigiit
years

In September, 1885, Mr. Stubbs became one of j
the proprietors and manager of the Empire Horse
Ranch. The firm of D. P. Stubbs & Sons does the
most extensive business west of the Mississippi
River in the line of importing Belgian draft and
Oldenburg coach horses. On their farm is kept a
large supply of the above breeds together with
French draft horses. The last two years they have
run a branch sale stable in St. Joseph, Mo. Orsino
1). Stubbs is a young man well informed as re-
gards tlio horse family, and display's consideralile
business ability as the superintendent of the Em-
pire Horse Rancli. Politically, he reserves the
right to act and think indei)endent of any party
and votes for the man who he believes will best
till llie ollice.

On the i'dd of December, 1879. Mr. Stubbs was
united in marriage with Miss Alice Stubbs, who is
a native of Henry Count}', where the wedding was
celebrated. Unto them were born three children,
but two died in infancy; the other bears tlie name
of Rex. O.

HEODORE F. HIGLEY, City Clerk and
Superintendent of the Water Works of
Fairfield, was born in .Jamestown, Chau-
tauqua County, N. Y.. on the 21st of March, 1839,
his parents being Daniel and Nancy (Bentley)
Higlcy. His father was born near Bennington,
Windham County, Vt., but his mother was a native
of Cattaraugus County, N. Y., and her people were

among the pioneers on the banks of Lake Chau-
tauqua. 'I he Higley family is of English origin,
our subject tracing his ancestry in direct line back
to Capt. Jolin Higley of England; while the family
was founded in America b}' Brewster Higley who
settled in Connecticut.

When a babe of about six months our subject
was taken by his parents in the fall of 1839 to Ogle
County, III., the family locating at Buffalo Grove.
He received his education in Mt. Morris Semi-
nary and soon after the firing upon Fort Sumter
enlisted in the country's service in May, 1861, as
a member of Companj- H, Fifteenth Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry. He served for one year, during
which time he participated in the Ijattle of Shiloh
and was then discharged on account of physical
disability. In December. 1863, he re enlisted as a
member of the Fourth Illinois Cavahy, and was
assigned to Company D, but later his regiment was
consolidated with the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry in
which he continued to serve until April. 1865,
when he was mustered into the Third U. S. Heavy
Artillery, in which he served until the close of the
war. lie was mustered out of the service at
Rlemphis, Tenn., on November 28, 1865. His
service was in the western department entirely and
made him a participant in many important battles
and skirmishes.

From Memphis, Tenn., Mv. Higley made his way
to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, whither his family had re-
moved in the meantime, but in 1866, he came to
Fairfield and in connection with his brother Daniel
G., purchased a drug store, continuing in that line
of business until 1880, covering a period of four-
teen consecutive years. During the past ten years
he has been in the employ of the city in one or
another official capacity and it is needless to say has
ever discharged his duties with promptness and
fidelity. In December 1882, he was elected City
Clerk, a position which he still fills, and since the
acceptance of the Water Works by the city he has
been Superintendent of the same.

On the 9th of January, 1867, Mr. Higley was
united in marriage with Miss Ella McElliinney,
daughter of Robert McElhinney, and unio them
was born five children, three sons and two daugh-
ters, four of whom are yet living ; Mary McEl-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

503

liinnej-, Robert McElhinney, Helen E. and Theo-
dore. Tlie third chihl, Harvey, died at the age of
two years. The death of the mother oecurrcd
September 8, 188G, and on the 5th of June, 1889,
Mr. Iligley wedded Mrs. Jennie C. Boner, daughter
of VVilliam D., and Elizabeth Clapp. She was born
in Buchanan Township, Jefferson County, on tlie
present site of the town of Beckwith. Her parents
were pioneers of that place of 1842 and the history
of their lives is given elsewhere in this work.

In politics Mr. Higley is a Republican, and so-
cially is a member of Clinton Lodge, No. 15., A. F.
and A. M. and of George Strong Post, No. 19, 0.
A. R. He has proved an efflcientand faithful pub-
lic ofHcer and in the discharge of his duties mani -
fests an earnest desire to care for the city's welfare,
sometimes regardless of his own Interests.

'^^

-y>^^-

<~:^li<S^

AMLTEL PACK WOOD is the founder of
the village of that name. It was organized
in the autumn of 1883, and is pleasantly
situated on the Burlington ife Western
Railroad. It is a thriving place with excellent
business facilities, and is doing a good general
trade. It contains three general stores, one hard-
ware store, two grain elevators, one brick and tile
factory, two good frame churches — a Jlethodist
Episcopal Church and a Christian Church — and its
school privileges are in keeping with all its otiicr
advantages. The town site is located on the farm of
Samuel Packwood, on the north half of section 11,
Polk Townshii), Jefferson County, in tlie midst of
as fine farming country as can be found along the
Mississippi. A bright future seems to bo awaiting
this village, for its citizens are men of jirogressive
ideas, whose energj' and ability will no doubt cause
it to rapidly increase in size and advantages.

Samuel Packwood, as well as being one of the
founders of the village is one of the pioneers of
this State, the date of his locating in Des Moines

County being 1848. From that day to the present '
he has borne his share in the upbuilding of the
county's interests, and has identified himself with
such enterpriiies as are calculated to benefit the
community. We therefore feel assured that his
sketch will be received with interest by many of
our readers. He was born in Clark County, Ind., in
1818, unto Samuel and Isabel (McKinley) Pack-
wood. His father was a native of A'irginia, and
his mother of Kentucky, in which State their mar-
riage was celebrated. He was a pioneer settler of
both Tennessee and Kentucky, also in Indiana,
whore his death occurred in 1848. His widow
afterward came to Iowa, where her deatii occurred
in Des Moines County' in 1875. Mr. Packwood
was a Captain in the War of 1812, and his father,
Samuel Packwood, Sr., served his country during
the Revolutionary War. The Packwood family is
of English descent, and the McKinley family is of
Irish origin. Our subject is the first in order of
birth in a family of four children. He was fol-
lowed by James, who is married and now resides
in Des Moines County, Iowa, on the farm which
has been his home since 1840; Jeremiah, who died
in Des Moines County in 1864; and Mrs. Isabel
Galloway, of California.

Samuel Packwood spent the days of his boyhood
and youth in a manner usual to farmer lads and
such advantages as were afforded by the district
schools of Indiana he received. Having attained
toman's estate in Clark County, Ind., in 1844, he
led to the marriage altar Miss Melinda M. Goss,
tlaughler of David and Mary (Confer) Goss, who
like their daughter were natives of Indiana, where
they continued to make their home throughout life.
In 1848 Mr. Packwood determined to make his
home in the new State of Iowa, for he had heard
of the opportunities it afforded new settlers, and
desired to benefit bis financial condition by a re-
moval thereto. He chose Des Moines County as
the scene of his labors, and while residing there
was honored with the position of County Super-
visor. He supported the Democracy, and became
an influential member of the party in that locality.
His removal in 1875 caused a loss to that county,
but proved a gain to Jefferson County, of which he
is now a valued citizen. On his arrival he pur-

504

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

chased a partially improved farm of one hundred
and sixty acres and began its develot)mcnt, but
eighty acres of that amount he sold for the town
site of Packwood. He built a commodious and
tasty residence upon his land, and has provided it
with all other necessary improvements.

On the 11th of March, 1890, Mr. Packwood was
called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who
died leaving four children — J. M. is now married
and resides in Packwood; M. L. is married and
makes his home in Des Moines County; Mary is
now Mrs. Smith, of Clark County, Mo.; and Sam-
uel D., who is married, is a practicing phj'sician
and surgeon of Oakville, Iowa, having been edu-
cated in the medical institute of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mrs. Packwood was a member of the Christian
Church and a most estimable lad}', who it seemed
could ill bo spared from the excellent work she was
here doing. ]Mr. Packwood is also a consistent
member of the Christian Church, gives liberally to
its support and works for its interests. He is ciiari-
table and benevolent, read}- to extend a helping
hand to the poor and needy, and to aid those who
are willing to help themselves.

W EVI G. MVKRS, who is now engaged in
ll /©I farming and stock-raising on section 34,
il^V-. Polk Township, is a representative of one
of the early families of Jefferson County, and has
here made his home since his tenth 3-ear. The old
homestead farm is still his place of residence, and
will doubtless continue to be his abode for many
years to come. He was the eleventh in a family of
thirteen children, whose parents were Stephen and
Sarah (Huffman) Myers. Tliey were highly re-
spected citizens of this community and are men-
tioned more fully in the sketch of Richard Myers
which appears on anotlier page of this volume.

Levi G. began his school life in his native
county — Washington County. Pa., but the greater
part of his education was acquired in the district

schools of Iowa. He spent his boyhood days
under the parental roof, and received such instruc-
tion in his present business as could be obtained
by assisting in the farm labors. Being reared to
agricultural pursuits, it was with an excellent
knowledge of the same that lie embarked in Inisiness
for himself at the age of twenty-one years. In
Jefferson County, in October, 18G7, Mr. Myers was
joined in wedlock with Maiy A. Longerbone, a
native of Ohio, and a daughter of Parker and
Lueinda (Grist) Longerbone, who were born in
Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. The year'
1865 witnessed their arrival in Jefferson Count}',
Iowa, and Polk Township was the site chosen for
their future operations. There Mr. Longerbone
engaged in farming for a number of years, ceasing
only when called from this life in 1889. His ex-
cellent wife still survives him and resides on the
homestead fsrm.

Previous to his marri.age, Mr. Myers had re-
s|)onded to his country's call for troops, and in
February, 1864, though oirly eighteen years of age,
enlisted at Abingdon in Company K, Seventh Iowa
Infantry, for the remainder of the war. He was
mustered into service at Davenport, and on being
sent to the front entered at once upon active duty.
He participated in a number of important engage-
ments, including the battle of Fay's Ferry, Ga., the
celebrated March with Sherman to the Sea, the
campaigns in Carolina and the siege of Richmond.
He also had the honor of marching in the Grand
Review at Washington — the largest military pageant
ever seen on the face of the globe — and was hon-
orably discharged in LouisA-ille, Ivy., in July,
1865.

Returning to Iowa Mr. M3-ers resumed farming,
and by his untiring efforts and ceaseless energy
has become one of the substantial citizens of the
community. His farm, comprising one hundred
and forty-eight acres, is under a good state of cul-
tivation, and another source of income to him is
the fine grades of stock which he raises. In
February. 1883, Mr. Myers was called upon to
mourn the loss of his wife, who died, leaving five
children, namely : Otho B., Clara, Merta, Raymond
and Leroy. On the 30th of May, 1884, in Jeffer-
son County, Mr. Myers was again married, his

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

505

second unicn being with Martha B. Hinton, who
was born in this county, anrl is a daugiiter of
Ezekiel and Aivna (Kamey) Hinton. Her father
was a native of Indiana, and her mother of Ohio,
and they l)ecarae residents of Jefferson County at
a very eaily day. Her father died in Wapello
County some years ago, but her mother is still
living. By this union of Jlr. Myers one child has
been liorn, Floyd G.

In political affairs. Mr. Myers takes considerable
interest and easts his ballot in support of the Re-
publican party. He has been honored witii a
number of official positions, served as A.ssessor of/
his township for six years, was County Com-
missioner in 1889, the following year was enumer-
ator of his township, and is now Secretary of the
School Board, with which he lias been connected
some j-ears. A friend to education, he has labored
for its interests, and other objects worthy the sup-
port of the best citizens receive his sj'mpalhy and
hearty co-operation. Both be and his wife are
memljers of the Baptist Church, and socially he is
a member of the Grand Arm3' of tlie Republic and
of Abingdon Lodge, No. 468, I. O. O. F. Tlie
days of his boj'hood were here passed, and his man-
hood years have been spent in this community', so
that the citizens of Jefferson County have had
ample opportunity to see and judge his life work,
and from the confidence and i-egard extended to
him by those who have so long known him we
infer that his career has been an honorable one,
and this inference is approved liy his many
friends.

ELI SMITH, a pioneer of Jefferson County of
1846, and a representative citizen of Fair-
? field, claims Ohio as the State of ids nativ-
ity. He was born in Delaware County, October 20
1812, his parents being Samuel and Mary Smith
both of whom were members of the Mctlio list Epis-
copal Church tliough the former in early life be-
longed to the Society of Friends. The father was

born in Loudoun Count}-, Va., and was one of a
family of twenty-one children. His grandfather
was a preacher of the Quaker belief and our sub-
ject was reared in accordance with that doctrine.
His mother was of English and Irish descent but
her place of birth is not known to the writer. Sam-
uel Smith removed from Virginia to Delaware
County, Ohio, in 1801, while that region was a
part of the Northwest Territory. The Quaker hos-
tility to the institution of slavery led to the emi-
gration of the family from a slave State to a free
Territory.

When Eli Smith was seven years of age he ac-
companied his parents to Belmont County of the
same State, where he was reared on a farm, and
where, in 1834, he was married to Miss Mary Ann
James, who was also reared in the faith of the So-
ciety of Friends. Eleven children were born of
their union but only two of the number, a son and
daughter, grew to mature years. The daughter.
Sidney, is the wife of Oliver Toothacher and re-
sides in Nebraska, while William R., married Mina
Chillister and is living on the old home farm in
Lockbridge Township, Jefferson County. Shortly
after his marriage, Mr. Smith removed with his
family to Guernsey County, Ohio, and there made
his home until 1846, when he emigrated to Iowa,
lie at first settled in Lee County, near West Point,
but after raising one crop removed to Lockridge
Township, Jefferson County, where he was success-
fully engaged in farming and stock-raising for
some years.

In November, 1849, Mr. Smith lost his wife and
in March, 1850, was married in that township to
Miss Elizabeth Hickenbottom, daughter of Joseph
and Rebecca HickenboMom and a native of Ken-
tucky. Her parents were born in Adair County,
Ky., removed thence to Morgan County, 111., in
1828, and ten j'ears later came to Jefferson County.
In the si)ring of 1839. they settled in Lockridge
Township, being among the earliest i)ioneers of that
region. Mr. and Mrs. Hickenbottom were [larents
of eleven children, but only four of the number are
residents of Jefferson County. The mother was a
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Ilerdcath occurred in 1861. and in 1864
Mr. Hickenboltora wedded Mrs. Dr. Moblc}', the

506

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

widow of one of the pioneer phj-sicians ef Jeffer-
son Countj'. He was a farmer by occupation and a
very just and uprij^lit man and in political senti-
ment was a supporter of the Democracy. His death
occurred in 1882 and his wife survived iiira but
two years.

Eli Smith, whose name heads this sketch, con-
tinued farming in Lockridge Township until 1879,
when, retaining the ownership of the farm, he re-
tired from active work and removed to Fairfiel:!
where he has since resided. Eor a number of years
he cast his ballot for the Republican party but dur-
ing the last few years has advocated the principles
of the Democracy. Socially, he is a Royal Arch
Mason, belonging to Clinton Lodge No. 15. A. F.
& A. M. and McCord Chapter, No. 5, R. A. M.,
both of Fairfield. He still owns a fine farm of one
hundred and sixt}' acres in Clark County, Iowa,
which is operated by a tenant. Mr. Wraith has now
been a resident of Jefferson County for forty-six
years and has always been known as a man of in-
dustrious habits, upright in his business relation, and
kind and accommodating to his neighbors; such a
man aa people respect and whose long life of use-
fullness leaves the world the better for his having
been in it.

E^^

IRAM Q. SHAFFER, a pioneer settler of

V) Van Buren Count}', engaged in farming on

^ section 27, Lick Creek Township, has lived

($?J) at his present home since 1846, and from a

forty-acre farm it has been increased until now

three hundred and forty-three acres pay tribute to

his care and cultivation.

A native of Ohio, Mr. Shaffer was born in Har-
rison Countj', March 21, 1820, and is a son of
George and Margaret Shaffer. His paternal grand-
father, John Shaffer, was a native of Germany, and
died in Van Buren County, Iowa. October 17, 1851.
His father, George Shaffer, was boin in Pennsyl-
vania, where be grew to manhood, receiving a good
education. He served as Lieutenant in the War of

1812, and was present at Commodore Perry's vic-
tory. Leaving his native State, he removed to
Ohio, where he became acquainted with and mar-
ried Miss Margaret Saltzgiver, a native of Adams
County, Pa. They began their domestic life in
Harrison County, Ohio, where Mr. Shaffer engaged
in farming in connection with work at his trade of
carpentering. In 1845, he came to the Territory
of Iowa, bringing with him his family and his aged
father. Making a location in Lick Creek Town-
ship, he entered a quarter-section of land from the
Government, which In consequence was in its
primitive condition, not a furrow having been
turned or an improvement made, but he built a
cabin thereon, and as week by week passed the
amount of improved land grew, until at length a
finelj' cultivated farm supplied the wants of his
famil}'. Thirtj' years it continued to be his home,
and he then sold out to his son, removing across
the Des Moines River to Pittsburg, where his last
days were spent, his death occurring on the 18th of
May, 1875. His good wife had died on the 16th
of July previous. They were the parents of nine
children, five sons and four daughters: Mar}',
widow of William Pickens, of Wapello County;
Hiram, of this sketch; Henry, of Oregon; John is
living in Kansas; J.ane, whose home is in Jackson-
ville; Jacob and Peter, who reside in Kansas; Mrs.
Elizabeth Bergen, of Texas; and Matilda, deceased.
The father of this family was a faithful member
and active worker in the Lutheran Church, in
which he served as Elder for many years. While
living in Ohio, he served as Justice of the Peace
for nine years, and filled tlie same office two terms
in Van Buren County. He was first a Whig, and
then a Republican, and took an active interest in
political affairs, being an influential member of the
county conventions. His sagacity and good judg-
ment made him a successful business man. and an
upright life won him the confidence of all, so that
his word was as readily received as his bond.

We now take u|> the personal history of our sub-
ject, who upon his father's farm in Ohio was reared
to manhood, and in the subscription schools of that
day was educated. He had attiiined to mature
years when he came to Iowa, and for some lime
after his arrival he worked as a farm hand, but in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

507

1851 began life for himself. On the 5th of May,
18o3. he married Miss Nancy Johnson, who was
born ill Westmoreland County, Pa., March 16,
1835, and is a daughter of Jolin and Catherine
Johnson, who removed with their family from Ohio
to Iowa in 1836. Iler father was a native of Ire-
land. Slie has two brothers liviiig, but the other
members of her family are now deceased.

After his marriage. Mr. Shaffer settled Li|)on a
rented farm near Kilbourn, which he operated two
years. During that time, by the practice of in-
dustry and economy, lie accumulated a small capi-
tal with which he pure liased forty acres of raw
land. He had first to clear away the brush before
he could erect a house, and the land all had to be
broken, but a short time sufficed to work a com-
plete transformation, and in the years which have
since come and gone, the boundaries of his farm
have been extended until now his landed jiosses-
sions aggregate tliree hundred and forty-three acres.
lie is also engaged quite extensively in stock rais-
ing, breedin f a goo 1 grade of horses. The greater
part of his farm products he feeds to his stock,
which fact alone shows that his business in that line
is not very Umited.

Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer have no children of their
own, but have reared an adopted son, Stephen; who
was born January 23, 1867. lie has been an in-
mate of their family since he was six weeks old,
good educational advantages were afforded him,
and he has received all the care and attention of
an own child. They are also rearing a girl, Kva,
now thirteen years old. Mr. Shaffer is a progres-
sive and enteriirising citizen, and manifests an in-
terest in all that pertains to the welfare and up-
building of the county. The cause of edueatiou
finds in him a special friend, and he served as
Treasurer and President of the School Board until
he would no longer accept the ottice. He cast his
first Presidential vote for Zachar}' Taylor, and was
a supporter of the Whig party until the rise of the
Republican party, when he joined its ranks. Forty
years have come and gone since Mv. Shaffer's ar-
rival in Van Buren County. When he came to
Iowa, the flourishing city of Otlumwa contained
but two liouses and a blacksmith shop. Wild deer
were yet plentiful, and tlie Indians in many locali-

ties were far more numerous than the white set-
tlers. Although hardship and trials attended the
establishment of a home in a innv community, many
of the citizens of Van Bnren C'cninty to-day would
give much for the honor of being numbered among
its pioneers.

jpS^jOBERT R. ROWLAND, senior partner of
[i#^ the firm of Rowhmd Bros., general mer-
chants, of Milton, is a native of Van Buren
County. lie was born on the 5th of De-
cember, 1843, his parents bi'ing Samu'.'l P. and Eliz-
abeth (Russell) Rowland, and was reared to
farm life receiving such educational advantages as
vrere afforded by the common schools of that day.
However, not desiring to make farming his life
W(jrk, he turned his attention to mercantile pursuits
and in Milton, in 1864, opened a dry-goods store.
He has since continued in tliat line of business and
is probably the oldest mercliaut, in years of service,
in Milton. During the twenty-six years in which
he has given his attention to that pursuit, he has
been associated with several partners. The firm of
Rowland Bros, was estal)lished in the fall of 1876
and with the exception of about two 3-ears has
carried on operations continuously since. They
carry a general line of merchandise and have a
large and constantly increasing patronage which re-
sults frora^the excellent grade of goods which thej''
carry and their courteous treatment and prompt at-
tention to the wants of their customers.

On the 2iid of April, 1874, in Davis County,
Iowa, Mr. Rowland was united in marriage with
JIIss Fannie Th.ayer, a native of Adams County,
111., and a daughter of Oliver Thayer. Unto them
were born four children, tliree sons and a daughter,
but they liave lost one son. The daughter. Nettie,
is the eldest, her birth having occurred March 23,
1875; Orin, was boi n October 26, 1877; Herbert
December 30, 1879; and Robert died at the ago
of eight moiitlk^.

Mr. and iMrs. Ruwland are members of the Meth-

508

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

odist Episcopal church and are soon to have one of
the finest homes in Milton, which is now in process
of erection. He is also tlie owner of a farm of one
Imndred and five acres in Davis County, which he
has leased. In politics, Mr. Rowland is a Demo-
crat and is au enterprising and successful business
man of ffood standing.

.^=^;=i^s=^

NDRKW P. ANDERSON, salesman in the
establishment of .1. A. Spielman, of Fair-
field, was horn in the eastern part of
(^ Sweden, on the 23d of February, 1846,

his paernts being Jonas F. and Anna L. . .nderson,
wh(j were also natives of the same place. His
mutlier was boin August 2, 1811, and his father
was born Novenilier 16, 1809, and became a day
laborer. Their union was blessed with a family of
five children, the two eldest of whom never left
their native land. Anna, the first-born, died in
Sweden, and Caroline is yet living in that country.
.The three younger children, Christina L., Hannah
E. and Andrew P., who is the only son, accompan-
ied their parents to the United States. Bidding
good-by to their old home, in 1857, they sailed
from Guttenberg, and after eight weeks spent upon
the briny dee[) dro|iped anchor in Boston Harbor.
Having heard favorable reports of Iowa and the
advantages afforded to emigrants, they continued
JLIieir journey to this State and made a location in
LocUridge Township, Jefferson County, where they
continued to make their home until the death of
Mrs. Anderson on the 24th of April, 1870. Since that
time the husband has made his home with his chil-
dren. Like his wife, he is a member of the Lu-
theran Church, and is one of the respected citizens
of this community.

Andrew P. Anderson, whose name heads this
sketch, was the fourth in order of birth in his fa-
ther's family. He was a lad of eleven j'ears when
with his parents he became an Ameri^'an citizen
He had attended school in his native land but com
pleted his education in Jefferson County, and cin

fluently speak the German, Swedish and English
languages. He now keeps himself well informed
on all questions of importance pertaining to the
history- of his adopted country, and is a gentleman
whose progressive ideas make him a valued citizen
and a worthy addition to the business circles of
Fairfield. He worked at various employments un-
til 1872, when he entered the service of the Ketchum
Bros, at ftlt. Pleasant, witli whom he remained four
years, serving as timber boss during the last two
years of his stay with that firm. In 1876, he en-
gaged with J. A. Spielman, of Fairfield, and has
been a trusted employe in that establishment con-
tinuousl.y since.

The marriage of Mr. Anderson and Miss Martha
Fer was celebrated in Fairfield, on the 4th of July,
1877. The lad\' is a native of Iowa, her birth
having occurred in Linn County, on the 3d of July,
1850. Three children graced their union, but
Elizabeth, their first-born, died in infancy; Nellie
F. and Samuel A. are at home. Mr. Anderson is a
Republican in political sentiment, giving his sup-
port and influence for the success and welfare of
tiiat party. He is a faithful, conscientious and
trusted employe, and to him is due in no small de-
gree the success of the Spielman establishment.

#^

^, ANIEL WALMER, one of the most suli-
stantial farmers of Jeft'erson County, as
well as one of its earliest settlers and a
resident of Fairfield Township, was born
in Wayne County, Ohio, February 13, 1838, and is
one of a family of thirteen children. With his par-
ents, Jacob and Sarah (Shoue) Walmer, he came to
Jefferson County in 1840, while an infant, and was
brought up on a farm and educated iu the district
schools of the neighborhood. On the 5th of May,
1861, almost ii„medi;Uely after the breaking outof
tiie late war, Mr. Walmer, prompted by patriotic
impulses, enlisted as a member of Company E,
Second Iowa Infantry, and served three years. He
was captured at the battle of Shiloh, April G, 1862,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

509

and was kept a prisoner, mainly at Cahaba, Ala.,
for three months until paroled and exchanged,
ahout llie holidays. He participated in tlie capture
of Ft. Donelson, wiiere the Second Iowa Regiment
won great praise for its gallant conduct and where
it sustained a heavy loss in killed and wounded.
He also took part in the hard-fought battles of Shi-
loh, Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and several minor
engagements, an<l was mustered out of the service
at the expiration of the three years in Tennessee, in
June, 1864, and returned to his home in Jefferson
County. Iowa.

On the 13th of November of the same year, Mr.
Walmer was united in marriage, in Jefferson
County, to Miss Mary E. Duncan, daughter of
Preston and Margaret Duncan. The lad}' is a na-
tive of Indiana, and bj' her marriage two child i en
have been born, a son and daughter — Ida is now
the wife of Samuel Lathers, who is engaged in
farming in l.lack Hawk Townsliip, Jefferson
County, and William, wlio died at the age (if nine
months. The death of the mother occurred on the
13th of October, 1868, and on the 13th of March,
1870, Mr. Walmer was again married. His present
wife, whose maiden name was .Susanna Whitson, is
a daugliter of Samuel and Caroline Whitson, and
her birth occurred in Liberty Township, Jefferson
County, on the 15th of March, 18.51. Her parents
were among the early settlers of this county, dat-
ing their residence from 1842, and she was born,
reared and married in the same house. Four chil-
dren, two sons and two daughters, have been born
of the second marriage and are as follows; Cora
Alice, who was born April 6, 1871; Jacob Hamil-
ton, born December 15, 1872; Sarah C., born Feb-
ruary 6. 1875, and Charles Nelson, born October
8, 1879. The birth of all occurred in Fairfield
Township, Jefferson County, where the parents have
resided since their marriage.

Since 1871, Mr. Walmer has occupied the old
homestead farm of the family, which is situated
south of the city on section 12, Fairfield Township,
and which comprises one hundred and eighty acres
of highly cultivated land, on which are found large
and tasty farm Imildings, together with many other
excellent improvements. His iiost-oflice is Fair-
field and his home is conveniently situated about

three miles from the city. Mr. Walmer is a Repub-
lican in politics and belongs to George Strong
Post, No. 19, G. A. R. By industry and judicious
management, combined with the able assistance of
his estimable wife, he h.as prospered in the affairs
of life and is now classed among the well-to-do
farmers of his adopted county. His course in life
has been marked by strict integrity and fair treat-
ment of all with whom he has had business rela-
tions, and has won for him the confidence and
esteem of his fellow-citizens. Mrs. Walmer is a
member of the Lutheran Church.

-7^

R. SAWYER ROBINSON, deceased, was a
pioneer piiysician of Jefferson Count\-. The
early historj' of this county would be incom-
plete without a sketch of the Doctor, who was
widely known throughout the community both as
a citizen and skillful physician. He was a native
of Ohio, born in Middletown, January 17, 1817.
His parents were James and Mary Robinson. Our
subject was reared to manhood in his native State,
and on the completion of his literary education,
having determined to make the practice of medi-
cine his life work, he entered the Cincinnati Medi-
cal College, from which he was graduated in the
class of '41. Going to CoUinsville, Ohio, he en-
tered upon the prosecution of his chosen profes-
sion, and in that i)lace formed the acquaintance of
Miss Leah B. Brooks. Their friendship ripening
into love, on the 6th of November, 1845, they
were united in marriage and began their domestic
life in CoUinsville. The lady was born near Ham-
ilton, Butler County, Ohio, June 2, 1826, and is a
daughter of Tinlcy M. and Elizabeth (Gr.ay)
Brooks.

In the spring of 1846 Dr. Robinson decided to
emigrate to the West, which he believed a better
field for j'oung men just starting out in a profes-
sional career. He came to Iowa and was so well
pleased with Jefferson County and its future pros-
pec's that he made a location in Locust Grove

618

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALRTUI.

Township, at wliat is now the town of Brookville.
He lived upon a farm but devoted liis attention to
llie practice of med'cine until 1851, when he was
elected Clerk of the Court. After serving in that
position for two years, he spent twelve months in
AV'apello County, which time sufficed to convince
him that he preferred Jefferson County as a loca-
tion. On his return he engaged in practice for one
year in Fairfield, but in 1855 again settleil in
Brookville, where he n)ade his home until his
death, which occurred on tlie 4th of June, 1857.
Dr. Robinson was always ahead instead of behind
the times. Vicing by nature an enterprising and pro-
gressive man. In his profession he was possessed
of such skill and ability that he took rank among
the foremost physicians of his time in the State,
and w:is an honored member of both the county
and State Medical societies.

The Doctor and his wife were the parents of
seven children, five sons and two daughters. John
D., the eldest, born December 5, 1846, married
Melissa Swain and is living in Clarks, Neb.; Saw-
yer, born January 29, 1848, entered the Keokuk
Medical College, but death ended his career on the
2d of June, 1871, ere he had completed his course
of study; he w-as a soldier. Leah M., born Au-
gust 26, 1849, died November 30,1850; Emmett
L., born January 16, 1851, married Anna Harris
and is a practicing physician of Central City,
Neb.; Mary E., born July 9, 1852, became the wife
of the Rev. A. J. Combs and died July 9, 1878;
Melvin. born October 13, 1854, died April 19,
1855; Tinley, born May 13, 1856, died June 13,
1858.

Dr. Robinson was a Whig in political sentiment
until tlie organization of the Republican party,
when, among the first, he espoused its cause. How-
ever, he did not live to see the enforcement of the
principles which it advocated. He was a man of
great firmness of (jurpose and nothing could deter
him from walking in that path of duty or pursuing
any course which he believed to be right. He was
a member of the Methodist Church, in which he
served as Steward, and was also Superintendent of
the Sabbath School. His last work in the church
was the erection of the fine ciiurch building at
Brookville, with which he had much to do. The

cause of temperance found in him a warm advocate
and the society known as the Sons of Temperance
numbered him among its faithful members. Dr.
Robinson is well remembered by many of the older
settlers of Jefferson County, and this brief sketch
of his life will be received by them with interest.
His widow became the wife of the Hon. Thomas
Moorman, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in
this work.

7 OHN AUGUST, whose home is in Fairfield,
Iowa, was born in Hohen Soken, Sweden,
May 8, 1832. His j)areuts were very poor,
so much so that, until he was fifteen years
of age, on special occasions he wore his mother's
shoes having none of his own. As soon as he was
large enough to perform any Ivind of service, he
was put to work, and when he was thirteen years of
age could accomplish as much work as a full grown
man. He never attended school a day but at home
he learned to read the Bible. Having decided to
come to America he knew that he must secure the
money needed to defray the expenses of an ocean
voyage for himself and parents. In one year, by
making tar and burning cliarcoal, he almost ac-
quired a sum sufficient to defray the expenses. He
worked day and night and happy indeed was he
when, after selling all their worldly effects he
found that he had enough to bring them to the
"poor man's country." In 1853, they sailed for
Quebec but on reaching that city their exchequer
was exhausted. They were in a strange land among
strangers and although it was somewhat difficult
to make a start, in the years which have since passed
away little adversity checked the prosperous career
of JMr. August. From C^uebcc. his parents were
given H free pass to Chicago and he went to work
on the canal near Montreal. In the meantime his
part-nts had nothing to live on. They obtained
shelter with another Swede family that was fixed
but little better than themselves, and Mr. August
and his wife slept on the floor, faring very hard
indeed. He worked at whatever he could get to

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAFHICAL ALT'.TTM.

511

do until he was taken sick and tliey would almost
have perished lliroiigh want of food liad it not
been for two little girls belonging lo tlie family
where they stopped, who collected from hotels or
wherever they could enough to sustain them until
Mr. August was again able to w(jrk. After he had
been emplo3'ed about eighteen days upon the
canal, his son John joined him and relieved their
necessities. Soon afterward the fatlier died, being-
then sixty-two years of age. His widow spent her
remaining days with her faithful son, lieing sur-
rounded in her declining years with all the com-
forts which his loving care could provide, and
passed away in her seventy-third j'ear.

Our subject left Chicago to work on the Illinois
Central Railroad, and after having labored there
through the autumn and a part of the winter his
employer ran awa3' owing liim some $200. When
spring came he liad neither money nor clothes.
Going to Stillwater, Wis., he hired on a raft and
floated down tlie Mississipjii to Keokuk, where the
raft was sold. His future history is connected with
that of Iowa. Going to Burlington he worked in
the liarvest field for a time but was soon taken sick
with ague and had to spend all that he had accum-
ulated. After chopping wood on the island below
Burlington for a few months, he hired out to work
in a stone quarry for $13 per month and continued
that occupation for three years, his wages being
advanced in the meantime to 125 per month. The
year 1858 proved to be an eventful one in his his-
tory as it witnessed his arrival in Jefferson County,
where by the exercise of industry, good manage-
ment and business ability he has acquired a com-
fortable competency. On his arrival here he pur-
chased forty acres of brush land and ten acres of
worthless timber in Buchanan Township for $380,
paying $100 down and giving twenty per cent for
the use of the remainder. By unceasing toil, per-
severance and energy he was enabled to add to his
possessions until he is now the owner of four hun-
dred and ten acres of good lanci, together with
some property in Fairfield.

On the 22d of September, 1858, in the home of
Ward Lamson, Mr. August and Matilda Samelson
were united in marriage. The lady was born in
Kisa County, Sweden, April 12, 1835, and when

eighteen years of age came to this country with a
Swedish family for w-hom she was to work to pay
her passage. After his nijirriage, Mr. August settled
upon the farm which he had purchased and as soon
as lie and his wife had gained a sufficient surplus,
they sent for her parents to come and spend their
last days with them. Eight children were born
unto them, of whom tlu'ee were deaf mutes. One
f)f the three and also three others died in child-
hood. The living are Emma E., wife of Christian
Johnson; Albert A.; Alfrida A., wife of Frank
Lundguist; and Hannah E. Both Mr. August and
his wife are Lutherans and in politics, he is a Re-
publican. The life of Mr. August has been thus
minutely detailed that some idea ma}' be gotten of
the hardships through which the early foreign
emigrants had to pass and also to show how he,
without money, friends or education, has won a
place in the front ranks of the farmers of Buchanan
Township. Many of^his characteristics are worthy*
of emulation and his record is one of which he
may welFbe proud.

^->'^i^i:^?t^55:>^^

-c-V

^/ONAH GLOVER, who carries on farming
and stock-raising on section 34, Farming-
ton Township, Van Burcn County, was born
in Orange County, Ind., Marcii 11, 1821,
and is a son of Stepiien and Sarah (Kirkhan)
Glover, both of whom were natives of Kentucky,
where their marriage was celebrated. About 1810
they removed to Lidiana, which at that time was a
wild and unsettled region where the red men wore
numerous and game was plentiful. The father
died in the prime of life in that State, and the
mother died in this county in her eighty-ninth
year. She was a member of the Baptist Church
for fifty-five years and a lady whose life was most
exemplary. In the famil}' were nine children,
eight of whom reached mature years and were mar-
ried, while four are }'et living, namely — Mrs. Jane
Archer, Mrs. Hulda Case, Jonah an<l Newton.
Our subject, is of English descent on the pater-

612

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

nal side, and on the malernal side is of Iiisli ex-
tiacLion. His boyhood days we<e spent amid llie
forests of Indiana, and in the okl log schoolhouse
with its piinche )n Hoor, slab seats and huge fire-
place, he familiarized himself with the three R's.
He used to make wooden mold-boards for the plows,
and like a dutiful son remained at home until he was
about twenty-four years of age. In Washington
County, Ind., he married February 21), 1844,
Amanda Mitchell, who was born in that county.
Their union was blessed with two children — Rob-
ert E., now a physisian of Corning, Iowa, and
Benjamin F., a farmer of Scotland County, Mo.

In 1845, Mr. Glover removed vvith his family to
Jasper Count3% Ind., where in 1852 his wife died.
He was again married March 17, 1853, to Elizabeth
Mack, a native of Fayette Count}-, Pa., b(n-u Ko-
vember 7, 1829, and a daughter of James and
Catherine ((irawl) Ma('k, both of whom were na-
tives of Pennsylvania. They emigrated to Ohio
in 1833, and four years later becMuie residents of
Jasper County, Ind. The father died at the age
of seventy six years, but his wife reached the
advanced age of eighty. After his marriage, Mr.
Glover continued his residence in Indiana until
1855, when he removed to Crawford County, Wis.,
where the succeeding nine years of his life were
spent. It was in 1864 that he settled in Van Bu-
ren County. Farming has been his life work, and
he is now the owner of two hundred and twenty
acres of nearl}' all arable land, highly improved
and cultivated. He raises some fine stock, includ-
ing thoroughbred Merino sheep, and is the owner
of the largest Percheron horse in this part of the
State, his weight being 2020 pounds. When Blr.
Glover started out in life for himself in Northern
Indiana he had no caiiital, but rented land until he
had saved iilOO, with which he made a partial paj--
ment on an eighty-acre farm. He lived in a pole
cabin and was his own cabinet-maker, but by hard
work and good management he rose from the ranks
and is now accounted one of the leading and sub-
stantial farmers of his township. Fair and honest
dealing, strict adherence to correct business prin-
ciples and a determined will have won him his
success, and at the same time secured to him the
confidence and regard of those with whom he has

come in contact. Politically he was a W^hig until
the organization of the Republican part}', since
which time he has supported the principles of that
body. In religious belief he is a Baptist, but his
wife is a Methodist, and his first wife was a mem-
ber of the Christian Church.

The four children born unto Jonah and Elizabeth
Glover are Waldo E.. who is living in Washington;
Ella A., at home; Truman J., assistant in the Chief
Engineer's office of the War Department; and New-
ton L., telegraph operator. The family was repre-
sented in the late war by Robert E. , who enlisted
at the age of seventeen and served three years in
the Thirty-third Wisconsin Infantry; and Benja-
min F., who in his sixteenth year entered the Six-
tieth Illinois Regiment and served a year and a
half. Though nt)t a pioneer settler, i\Ir. Glover is
a valuable citizen, and deserves a front rank among
the representative mtn of this county.

^i^m^^B

OllN A. ROBINSONoflveosanciua, has been
a resident of Van Buren County, since 1850,
and is widely and favorably known in the
^/l community where he makes his home. He
is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Lancaster
County, June 4. 1832, and is a son of James B.
Robinson. When a young man he learned the
trade of blacksmithing in the Ke3'Stone State. In
1850, he resolved to seek his fortune in the West
and came to the new State of Iowa. He chose
Winchester as the scene of his labors and at that
Ijlace carried on blacksmithing until 1871, when he
removed to Keosauqua, where he still resides, con-
tinuing the business which has been his life work.

In Winchester, in 1855, Mr. Robinson was uni-
ted in marriage with Miss Ella J. Smith, daughter
of Asa Smith. She is a native of Tennessee, her
birth having occurred near Nashville in 1835.
When a maiden of fifteen summers she came to
Iowa, locating to Van Buren County, where she
formed the acquaintance of Mr. Robinson. Three
children have been born of their union, of wliom

THE NEW YOKv .
PUBUCUBR%\

ROBERT PRALL.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

5\r,

two are yet living — James B., horn December 2,
1855, in Winchester, is a furnilnre liealer of ]\Iil-
ton.and liis sketcli is given on anotlier page of this
work; Nellie F., the danghtcr, is a teacher of con-
sideraMe ability, now employed in the schools of
Keosauqua. The third child, Arthur, died at the
age of two years.

Mr. Robinson and his wife are faithful mendjcrs
of the Methodist Episcopal Cluirch. to which their
daughter also I)elongs. This worthy couple also
reared an adopted daughter, Mary Bird Robinson,
who engaged in the profession of teaching. She
was a young lady of intelligence and possessing
many excellencies of character, but her death oc-
curred at the age of nineteen years. Our subject
and his wife, who for forty years have been num-
bered among Van Buren County's citizens, are
highly respected in the communit}- where they re-
side and their friends are many.

|i OBERT PRALL, who Is engaged in farming
and stock-raising on section 23, Des Moines

Township, Van Buren County, was born
in Muskingum County, Ohio, August 7,
1832. and is of German, Irish and English descent.
The founder of the Prall family in America was
the grandfather of our subject, Thomas Prall, a
gentleman of German birth who left his native
land and emigrated to America in the early part of
the eighteenth century. His son, Asa, father of
our subject, was born in Pennsylvania where he
grew to manhood and in 1828, wedded Asenath
Botkin, also a native of the Keystone State. Her
parents were Robert and Sarah Botkin. the former
a native of Ireland and the latter of Englanii.
They came to America during Colonial days and
settled in Greene County, Pa., where they continued
to make their home until called from this life. Por
two j'ears after his marriage Mr. Prall and his wife
continued in Penns\ Ivania but the year 1830 wit-
nessed their removal to Ohio. He vvas a farmer

by occupation and folUjwedlhat pursuit in Morgan
County until 1842, when accorn|)anied by wife and
children he went to Clark County, Ind. Ten years
were there spent and in the vvinter of 1852 lie went
to Van Buren County, Iowa, where he purchased
a partially improved farm. At once beginning
the work of improvement he soon had a com-
fortable home, which continued to be his shelter
fi'om the storms of life until 1880, when he was
called to his final rest. His wife wlio had proved
to him a true helpmate, survived her husband some
six years. Their family once ntnnbered ten chil-
dren, of whom the following are now living —
Thomas, who is married and resides in Des Moines
Township, Van Buren County; Robert, of this
sketch; Cornelius, who is married and makes his
home in Coles County, III.; Mrs. Sarah Bradford,
of Schuyler County, Mo.; Mrs. Matilda Fowler, of
Harper County, Kan.; and C. C. who is married .and
living in Ringgold County, Iowa.

In the usual manner of farmer lads our suliject
spent the days of his boyhood and youtli,and in the
common schools of Ohio and Indiana he acquired
his education. On attaining to mature years, he
left the parental roof and began life for himself.
Farniing has been his chief occupation and his suc-
cess has proved that his choice of labor was a wise
one. His first purchase of land consisted of a one
hundred and sixty-acre tract of timber but he
cleared away the trees and brush, plowed the broad
acres, planted crops and soon had a fine farm, the
the value of which he also greatly increased b3' the
erection of a eomtnodious residence and good
barns. As time passed and his financial resources
were increased, he also extended the boundaries of
his land, his possessions now aggregating three hun-
dred and eighty acres, part of which is under a high
state of cultivation, while the remainder affords
excellent pasturage to the fine stock which he
raises in considerable numbers. Mr. Prall is prac-
tically a self-made man, having acquired his pos-
sessions by industry, energy and good management,
which in almost every instance will bring about
success.

In Van Buren County, October 11, 1855, Mr.
Prall led to the marriage altar Miss Aliza Single-
ton, a native of Ohio, born October 25, 1831, and

516

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

came to this county witli her grand -pa rents in
1836, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Singleton,
botli of whom died in Ohio some years ago. To
tliis union have been born four children — Asa Wil-
liam, who is married and resides in Bonai)arte,
Iowa; Frances, now Mrs. Craig, of Des Moines
Township, Van Buren County; Carrie and Delia
at home. Mr. Prall manifests considerable interest
in political affairs and casts his ballot with the Re-
publican party. He held the office of Township
Trustee, serving with credit to himself and satisfac-
tion to all concerned.

^^^

a)^^*

'^ OSEPH BLAKELEY, who resides on section
31, Buchanan Township, is an extensive
landowner of Jefferson County, having six

^If) hundred and fifty acres of land Ij'ing in three
townships, which pay to him a golden tribute for
his care and cultivation, and his prosperity is all
the more deserved when we know that he has made
his own way in the world, steadily pushing forward
from a humble position to one of wealth and afflu-
ence. He was born in Butler County, Pa., Decem-
ber 27, 1824, and is a son of Lewis and Jane
(McCallister) Blakeley. The family is of German
origin and the progenitor in America was Lewis
Blakeley, the great-grandfather of our subject, who
at an early day in American history braved the
dangers of an ocean voyage to make a home in the
New World and settled in Chester County, Pa. He
married Jane Nearis. who was of Irish birth. Her
father died in the old country, after which her
mother was again married. The step-father came
to America and later sent for the mother and Jane
to join him in his new home, but his wife died on
the ocean. The daughter continued on her way to
Pennsylvania, but never found any trace of her
step- father. She was sold to a man to pay for her
passage, and in the employ of the same gentleman
was Lewis Blakeley, who fell in love with the
young Irish lass and married her. Unto them, on
the 21st of September, 1767, in Pennsylvania, was

born a son, Joseph Blakeley, who became an expert
weaver. Having attained to mature years, ho mar-
ried Sarah Harvey, a Scotch lady, born May 15,
1768. He was one of the first tavern-keepers of
Washington, Pa., and was there living at the time
of the Whisk}' Insurrection, which arose largely
from the heavy taxation which was placed upon
that commodity, which was about the only article
they could pack over the mountains and get money
for. Afterwards Mr. Blakeley removed with his
family to Butler County, Pa., where his wife died
in 1830, and he in 1841.

Their third child in a family of eight children,
Lewis Blakeley, was born on the 28th of May,
1794, in the Kej'stone State, and in his youth was
inured to hard labor. On the 31st of August, 1815,
he married Miss McCallister, who was born in
PennsylTania March 7, 1796. Her father, Archi-
bald McCallister, who was born in 1759, in Ireland,
was a well-educated man who engaged in the pro-
fession of teaching for a livelihood. He married
Hannah Blakeley, who was born on the 24th of
Februar}', 1770. His death occurred Februar}' 24,
1825, and she was called to her final rest January 19,
1847. Upon the marriage of the parents of our
subject they settled upon a farm in Butler County,
Pa., where they spent the remainder of their lives
engaged in the useful and honorable pursuit of till-
ing the soil. They reared a family of twelve chil-
dren, eleven sons and one daughter, nine of whom
are j'et living. Both were members of the Coven-
anter Church and in the community where they
lived they ranked among the highly respected citi-
zens. The death of Mr. Blakeley occurred Septem-
ber 3, 1845, but it was not until many 3'ears
afterward that his widow passed away, her death
occurring June 15,1882.

The subject of this sketch was the fifth child in
his fat'ier's family and is the only one now a resi-
dent of Iowa. He received a common-school edu-
cation, and on reaching manhood began life for
himself by working in a sawmill. Later he turned
his attention to farming, which has been his chief
occupation in later years and which now engrosses
his attention. He chose as a companion on life's
journey Miss Margaret Harris, who was born in
Butler County, Pa., March 30, 1830, and is a

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

;)17

daughter of William and Margaret (Evans) Harris.
AVhen h }oung man her father removed from Vir-
ginia to Pennsylvania, where he married Miss
Evans, a lady of Welsh descent. Ten children were
born unto Iheni, sis sons and four daughters, hut
tlie wife of our subject is the only one whose home
is in Iowa. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Blake-
le3' was celebrated on the 28th of June, 1848. in
Butler County, Pa., where they at once began their
domestic life, remaining in the neighborhood for
some two years. It was the desire of the husband
to try his fortune in the new State of Iowa and to
this end he spent the winter of ,185(1-51 in Arkan-
sas, engaged in chopping wood, whereby lie pro-
cured the money to bring himself and family to
Fairfield. The 10th of May, 1S51, saw the realiza-
tion of his liopcs. A struggle with poverty then
began but triumph awaited him in the end. On his
arrival in Iowa he had not a chair or table with
which to furnish his house and in addition he was
not free from indebtedness. When companj' came
the door was taken from its hinges and used as a
table, and for other necessaries like conveniences
were resorted to. Truly necessity is the mother
of invention, and what their limited store could
not supply their fertile brains provided. To sup-
ply the v^ants of his family, Mr. Blakeley began
work in a brickyard. He also aided in the erec-
tion of the second steam sawmill in the county,
which turned out much of the lumber used in the
construction of the first houses. Subsequently he
purchased an interest in a wagon shop, picked up
the trade and for seven years did a good business
in that line, after which, having accumulated some
capital he purchased one hundred and sixty acres
of laud and began the development of a farm. Not
a furrow b.ad been turned or an improvement made
but clearing away the brush he plowed the land
and soon abundant harvests were gathered as the
result of his persistent efforts. In 18G1, Mr. Blake-
ley returned to the East, locating in Oil City, Pa.,
where he carried on his trade of wagon-making for
a year, returning to his Iowa farm in 1862.

The Civil War was then in progress and, although
he himself did not enter the service, his family was
well represented, five of his brothers entei'ing the
ranks. Archiljnld served as Colonel of the Seventy-

eighth Pennsylvania Infantry ; William was Colonel
of the I'ourteenth Pennsylvania Cavahy, and
Thomas was Post Hospital Steward of the Seventy-
eighth Pennsylvania Infantry. The other two
brothers were i rivates and did as effective service
for their countr}- as the three mentioned,although in
a loss conspicuous way — Harvey dying at Atlanta,
Ga., while en route with Gen. Sherman while mak-
ing his famous march, and the other four were all
spared to get home.

The sun of prosperity has shone upon the path-
way of Joseph Blakeley and crowned his efforts
with success, yet at times his sky has been dark-
ened by clouds of adversity. TJie reward of in-
dustry, perseverance and good management has,
however, made him a comparatively werdlh}' man.
He is a Republican in politics and as a citizen is
true to every trust reposed in liim.

By the union of Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley eight
children were born, but the eldest, William H., died
when about two years of age ; Margaret Jane is now
the wife of Henry McKinney, of Clark County,
Mo.; Elizabeth E. is at home; Oscar C. married
Clara Turnham and is engaged in farming in Jeff-
erson County, as is also his brother — John E., who
married Oregon M.Reed ; Josie II. is at home; James
M. isaresident farmer of Jefferson County ; George
W. is still under the parental roof.

^E

nSAAC HALSTEAD,one of the prominent farm-
ers and stock-raisers of Jackson Township,
[J, came to Van Buren County, in 1862, but since
1847 has made his home in the State, having prev-
iously resided in Franklin and Keokuk. He has
taken an active part in the growth of the county
and to the extent of his ability and resources has
assisted in its development and progress.

The Halstead family is of German origin and
was founded in America during Colonial days by
ancestry who settled in New York, where the father
of our subject, Timothy Halstead, was born in
1799. His boyhood days were passed ic New

518

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

York, but before he had carriverl at years of ma-
turity he went to Ohio, where he married, in 1820,
Miss Hester Tiramons, a native of Maryland, in
whicti State her parents, Ephraim and Mar^' Tira-
mons, were also born. They were parents of four
children as follows: Mary Ann, deceased wife of
Richard Massey; Martha, wife of Isaiah Preston, of
Davis County, Iowa; Isaac of this slietcli, and
Timothy J. who is also living in Davis County.

Our subject was born on the 18th of March,
1826, and his birthplace was in Ross County, Ohio,
where under the parental roof the days o£ his child-
hood were spent. He accompanied the family on
their emigration to Franklin, Iowa, and in Keokuk,
he Ifarned the trade of a brickmason, which he
there followed until 1857. Removing in that j'ear
to Edina, Mo., he engaged as a contractor and
builder, erecting some of the principal business
blocks of that city, including the IJryant & Con-
nelly two story brick block'and Col. Pratt's build-
ing, which was two stories in height with a base-
ment. He was also the architect of a large number
of fine brick dwellings in the city and county, but
after successfully carrying on business for five
years in Edina, he returned to Iowa and began
farming in Van Buren County. He traded for his
first eighty acres of land and to that amount has
added until he now owns two hundred acres of
choice land, forty of which is timber, while the
quarter section is divided into rich and fertile
fields which yield a golden tribute for the care and
cultivation he bestows upon them. The value of
the farm has also been greatly increased by 'the
erection of a comfortable residence, a large barn,
.shed, etc. and the whole is surrounded by beautiful
shade trees of his own planting. Mr. Halstead, by
fair dealing and just treatment has won a place in
ihe esteem of his fellow townsmen and ranks among
the representative citizens of the county. To have
won the success which has crowned his business
efforts he must have applied himself assiduously to
his woik, yet he has found time to encourage and
aid all laudable enterprises. In politics, he is a
supporter of Republican principles and has held a
number of local offices.

In 1856, Mr. Halstead formed a matrimonial alli-
ance with Caroline Young, then a resident of Bon-

aparte Township, Van Buren County. Her birth,
however, occurred in New Jersey, September 7,
1829, and her" parents were Benjamin and Mary
(Fangboner) Young, natives of the same State.
Unto them have been born four children but they
had the misfortune to lose their eldest son and
second child, George W. Amanda is now the wife
of Caleb Tufts; Benjamin F., twin brother of
George, is at home, and Ella is the wife of Theo-
dore McMillen.

SmM

/^EORGE HUMPHREY, dece!ised,is numbered
[|| ,— — , among the pioneer settlers of Van Buren
^^^ County, Iowa. He was born in Ohio, about
the year 1826, and was a son of David and Mar}'
(Smith) Humphrey, the former a native of Virginia
and the latter of the Buckeye State. The family
came to this county in 1832, our subject being then
a lad of six summers. He was reared to manhood
amid the wild scenes of frontier life and in conse-
quence his educational advantages were limited.

Having attained to mature years, Mr. Humphrey
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Sheets.
Their marriage was celebrated in Van Buren
County, and unto them were born three children,
but two died in infancy. Benjamin F., who was
born July 3, 1854, in Illinois, is the only surviving
child of that marriage. He is now engaged in busi-
ness in Milton.

Mr. Humphrey was a farmer by occupation and
followed that business throughout his entire life.
He continued the cultivation of his farm in Des
Moines Township until about 1853, when he re-
moved to Illinois, where he continued to reside
until 1856. Again coming to Van Buren County,
he located upon a farm in Des Moines Township,
where he continued to reside until called from this
life. His wife died in 1858, and in 1861, he was
again married, his second union being with Miss
Nancy Lewis. In the fall of that year, while riding
in Northern Missouri, Mr. Humphrey was caught
and shot by guerrillas near Mt. Sterling, and after

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

019

his death a son was born unto Mrs. Humphrey,
George, who went West, was married in Oregon
and is now living in Thompson Falls, Mont. Mr.
Humphrej' was a Republican in politics and a
valued citizen whose loss was felt throughout the
entire community. He had been identified with
the growth and progress of the county in its earlier
days, liad done what he could for its advancement
and in both public and private life iiad so conducted
himself that he won tlie respect of all with whom
he came in contact. Mrs. Humphrey still survives
her husband and isUving in Thompson Falls, Mont.

/p^USTAV A. SMITHBURG, who served his
(|[ ,_ — , adopted country faithfully during the late
'^i:tJA( war and is now a jjrogressive farmer of
Lockridge Township, Jefferson County, residing on
section 21, is of Swedish birth, his parents being
Peter and Annie Smithlnng. His father, also a
native of Sweden, learned the trade of a copper-
smith in his youth and carried on that business in
connection with farming. The lady whom he mar-
ried was a widow and by her former union had two
children. A family of six children was born of her
second marriage, as follows: Inga Peck, now living
in Blakesburg, Iowa; Charles, deceased; Sophia,
widow of O. Gunderson, of Portland, Ore.; David,
who served as Corporal of Company M, Fourth
Iowa Cavalry, died soon after the close of the war
from wounds received while in the service; Gustav
A. is the next younger; and Bertha, wife of Lewis
Meudenhall, of Fairfield, comi)letes tlie family.

In 1848, through the instrumentality of Peter
Cassel, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this
work, a colony of Swedish emigrants was formed,
among which was the family of Mr. Smithburg.
The party crossed the ocean together and all sought
homes in this vicinity. Mr. Smithburg purchased
one hundred and sixty acres of land, the present
farm of our subject, but at that time only thirty
acres had been cleared while a log cabin constituted
the entire improvements. He arrived with his

family in August and two weeks later while cross-
ing Brush Creek with a yoke of cattle, to get lum-
ber for repairing his house, he was drowned. The
mother kept her family together and with the
aid of her sons, improved tlie farm. Some ten
years later she mairied Philip Anderson and her
death occurred in 1870. Mr. Smithburg was a
member of the Lutheran Cliurch as was also his
wife for manj' years, but in later life she united
with the IMethodist Episcopal Ciuirch.

Our subject was a lad of six summers when as a
memlier of the Swedish colony before mentioned,
he crossed the broad Atlantic and became a resi-
dent of Jefferson County. He was reared to man-
hood on the farm which is yet his home and in
his youth acquired a common school education and
shared in the difficult task of developing from the
wild land a productive farm. He was only nine-
teen years of age when the Civil War broke out,
but anxious to strike a blow against the rebellion,
he responded to the President's call fjr troops and
on the 2.5th of November, 1861, became a member
of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, in which he served
three j'ears and ten months. During the winter of
18G1-G2, the regiment remained at Mt. Pleasant,
but tlie following spring was sent to the front and
during the period in which he wore the blue lie saw
service in Jlissouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia.
Alabama, Louisiana and Kentucky. He partici-
pated in the battles of Arkansas Post, Vicksburg,
Jackson, Miss., and the (4untown raid, was in the
battle of Tupelo and followed Price on his raid
through Missouri. The regiment once traveled
one hundred and twenty-four miles in thirty-six
hours and made three charges. He continued with
his command until the war was over, when he was
honorably discharged as a loyal soldier and faithful
adherent of the Union cause.

The year succeeding his return from the field,
Mr. Smithburg spent in Galesbtirg, 111., after which
he returned to Iowa, and made a location on his
present farm which has now been his home for
twenty-three consecutive years. On the 20th of
December, 1868, he married Miss Christina Ander-
son and unto them have been born eight children.
The two eldest are deceased, those living are: El-
mer M., and Elma, twins, born October 17, 1874;

520

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Bertha, January 29, 1878; Ralph, October 25, 1882;
Walter, March 12. 1884; Minnie, June 21, 1887.
Mrs. Sraithburg is a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church and a most estimable lad}-. Her
husband altliough not holding membership is gen-
erous with his means in support of the church and
gives liberally for all charitable and benevolent
interests. As a business man, he is successful, hav-
ing bj' industry and enterprise gained a comfortable
competency and by fair and honest dealing secured
the confidence and regard of all with whom he has
come in contact. His farm comprises one hundred
and sixty acres of highly cultivated land, which is
furnished with good grades of stock and all neces-
sary improvements. His barns and outbuildings
are such as should be seen on a model farm of the
nineteenth century, and his home is an elegant and
commodious residence, tastefully furnished. Mr.
Smithburg cast his first vote when only nineteen
years of age for President Lincoln, and has since
been a stanch supporter of the Republican party.
He has frequently represented iiis township in tlie
county conventions, and for two or three terms
served as Township Trustee. An honored veteran
of the late war, a representative farmer and valued
citizen, are terms which aptly describe the gentle-
man whose name heads this sketch.

)OBERT E. MEEK, a representative of that
pioneer family which is so well and favor-
L \\\ ably known throughout the county, and a
^^ sou of Robert and Abigail P. Meek, was
born in Bonaparte, on the 21st of January, 1861.
He was educated in the schools of his native town
and with a desire to increase his store of knowledge
subsequently spent three years in tlie Central Iowa
Universit}', of Pella. After completing his educa-
tion he entered upon his Itusiness career as an em-
ploye in the Bonaparte woolen mills, where he
remained some six or seven years, being engaged a
part of the time as shipping clerk and the re-
mainder as book-keeper. In February, 1888, he

purchased the interest of Mr. Christy in the mer-
cantile firm of Christy & McDonald and the new
firm asfjumed the title of McDon.ald & Meek, under
which they still continue to do business. They
carry a good stock of drygoods and clothing, have
one of tlie most tastefully kept establishments in
town and receive a liberal patronage.

It was in Bonaparte, on the 25tli of February,
1885, that Mr. Meek led to the marriage altar Miss
Maggie C. Cresap, a daughter of Michael and Sarah
Cresap, who are numbered among the early and
highly esteemed settlers of this county, of which ]\Irs.
Meek isa native. The young couple have spent their
lives in Van Buren County and are known to a
wide circle of friends. Their hospitable home is a
favorite resort of the young people who are sure to
receive a warm welcome. Mr. Meek, in politics,
marches with his worthy ancestors, being a stanch
Democrat.

ILL! AM R. PARKER, a rei)resentative of
one of the pioneer families of Van Buren
■ -^ County, residing in Birmingham, was born
in Keosauqua, August 12, 1852, his parents being
George and Hannah C. (Calhoun) Parker. His
father, a native of Lewis County, W. Va., was born
December 22, 1814, and having remained under
the parental roof until 1835, he went to Illinois,
where he remained some time. Eleven \'ears later,
he made his appearance in Van Buren Count}',
Iowa. He was without capital, yet by splitting
rails, digging wells, etc., he succeeded in accumulat-
ing a small sum, with which he began merchandis-
ing in a log store in Birmingham. Business at
that time was done in a very primitive way. The
proposed purchase of a barrel of molasses would be
announced before hand and on its arrival all would
be there with llieir jugs, waiting to be supplied.
He continued in business until the war and in that
w-iy became widely known throughout the com-
munity. In 1851-52, he was County Treasurer and
during his terra of office lived in Keosauqua. He
helped hew the logs for the first county jail and in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

521

other w&ys was connected with the early history of
the community. Mr. Parker was raarrieil on the
23d of December, 1847. and from that time until
his death devoted himself to his family and the
advancement of their interests. His wife was born
December 25, 1825, and like her husband was an
active and faithful member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, to which they also made liberal
contributions in money. His beneficence however
did not extend to the church alone, but also to the
poor and afflicted. He died in June, 1888. Thus
another pioneer, wiiose life was a blessing to all
with whom he came in contact, passed away. His
wife still survives him. In their family were five
children, but only two of the number are now liv-
ing— William R. and Jesse F.

The subject of this sketch has spent his entire
life in Van Buren County, and was educated at the
Birmingham schools and at Bailey's Commercial
College, from which he graduated. At the age of
eighteen years he began life for himself and since
that time has been dependent upon iiis own
resources. He was then quite young for such an
undertaking, but he purchased tiie Birmingham
Enterprise and after running it alone for six months
he took as a partner C. L. Sheward. Together
they operated the [japer successfully for twelve
years, at the end of which time, on account of
failing health, Mr. Parker sold out to his partner.
Having disposed of his interest in business, he took
a trip to California where he spent the winter.
Sliortly after his return he went to Pennsylvania,
where for a paper published in Beaver Falls, he
acted as city solicitor until he was taken sick and
brought home.

On the 10th of June, 1877, in Birmingham, Mr.
Parker was joined in wedlock with Bliss Mary J.
Randall, a native of Illinois, and a daughter of
Capt. William Randall, who was killed in the war.
She belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church
and is the leading milliner of Birmingham, having
carried on a store for four years. Her exquisite
taste which is an important factor in the selection
of coods, together with her pleasant and affable
manner, makes her a favorite with the ladies and
has brought her an excellent trade.

In political sentiment, Mr. Parker is a Republi-

can. He is engaged in mercantile pursuits being
senior member of the firm of Parker and Cramer,
who carry a large stock of general merchandise,
and is also interested in the dairy business, having
engaged in that pursuit, in company with his
brother since the spring of 1890. They own sixty
head of cows which are pastured upon their four
hundred and thirty-five ncre farm. As a citizen,
he cheerfully performs every duty devolving upon
him and as a business man of enterprise, as well as
a representative of one of the pioneer families of
the community, he is deserving a representation in
this volume.

ENRY M. DYSART, editor and proprietor
of the Milton Herald, was born near Farm-
ington, Marshall County, Tenn., November
19, 1841, and is the son of Milton H. and
Harriet C. (Neill) Dysart, who were also natives
of the same State. His education was acquired in
a subscription school which was taught alternately
by his father and mother, this being the only means
of education, as the common school system was
not then in operation in that part of the State.
His parents seeing the inevitable conflict with
slavery approaching, determined to remove to a
free State, constquentl}', at considerable financial
sacrifice they removed to Iowa, arriving at their
destination — Troy, Davis County — on the 11th of
April, 1854. Henr^' M. was reared on the farm
and attended the Troy Academy until November
12, 1860, after which he taught a winter's term of
scliool. Although his early life was spent in a
slave State be opposed that institution, and on the
2Pth of September, 1861, enlisted in the service of
his country. On the 1st of May, 1863, he was
captured at La Grange, Ark., and for four months
was held prisoner at Little Rock, after which he
was discharged. He returned to active service and
remained with his command until the term of enlist-
ment had expired. He participated in the battles
of La Grange and Pea Ridge, Ark., and in various

522

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

skirmishes and campaigns. He was accidentally
wounded in camp at Little Eock in April, 18G4,
while on duty, but otherwise escaped uninjured.
After three years of warfare in the South, he re-
ceived his discharge from the service September
19, 1864.

On returning from the war, Mr. Dysart engaged
in the mercantile business at Troy, Iowa, which he
continued until 1870, when be sold out and re-
moved to Bloomfield, of the same count}'. The
real-estate business there engrossed his attention,
and he made many excellent improvements at that
place. His residence in Milton covers a period of
nineteen consecutive years. On here locating, in
1871, he engaged in the mercantile business with
his brother, G. S. Dj'sart, but after two years that
connection was discontinued, and he accepted the
appointment of Postmaster of Milton from Presi-
dent Grant, his commission bearing date 1872,
He continued to hold office until the year 1873,
when he resigned and was employed as traveling
salesman, continuing his services in that capacity
until 1878, when he was again appointed Postmas-
ter by President Arthur, and retained the office un-
til Grover Cleveland had been one year President,
when he resigned in March, 1886, and bought out
the Milton Herald, which he has edited and pub-
lished continuously since. After speaking of the
Milton Headlight, which it says was started in Oc-
tober, 1876, and suspended in March, 1878, the
county history of 1878 sjiys: "The Milton Herald
was started in April, 1878, and is now run by McNeil
& Baxter." Mr. Dysart purchased it in 1886 of Mr.
Baxter. It was then a seven-column folio with a
very limited patronage, but under the management
of its present proprietor it has been increased one
column in width, and very largely in circulation and
material, until now it is one of the leading papers
of the blue grass region of Southern Iowa. It is
independent in politics and devoted largely to the
interests of Milton, and to that of Van Buren and
neighboring counties.

Mr. Dysart was married in Troy, Iowa, on the
2d of October, 1867, to Miss Jane Olivia Bruce,
daughter of Amor and Margaret Bruce. Mrs.
Dysart was born in Dearborn County, Ind,. and
ou her father's side is of Scotch ancestry. They

have two children, a son and daughter — Paul, born
in Troy, Iowa, July 22, 1868; and Chloe, born in
Milton, November 7, 1883. The parents are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are
highly respected citizens of the community. Mr.
Dysart is one of the enterprising business men of
Milton, and is an honored member of Charles W.
Fishor Post, No. 433, G. A. R., of Milton, and of
Jackson Lodge, No. 28, K. P., in both of which he
has held all the offices. He has served one term as
Mayor of Milton, and has just recently been
elected for the sixth consecutive year as Secretary
of the Milton District Agricultural Society, a
flourishing organization iu the district.

*^"^

<| MLLIAM M. V. B. FELLOWS, who re-
\^// sides on section 9, of Van Buren Town-
WHl s'''P. is an intelligent and enterprising
farmer and stock-raiser of Van Buren County. His
family is of English descent and his parents, Asa-
hel and Susanna (Harrison) Fellows, were natives
of Pennsylvania. For some years the father fol-
lowed farming in the State of his nativity, but in
the autumn of 1835 he left for the West, think-
ing to better his condition by a removal to a
community where lands could be obtained cheap,
and where one might, if willing to work, soon
make for himself a comfortable home. He spent
the winter in Michigan and the following spring
resumed his journey, which he continued until
reaching what is now Van Buren County, Iowa.
He m.ade a settlement along the Des Moines River,
near Keosauqua, entering land and also purchas-
ing a claim, which, from a wild and unimproved
tract, he developed into a highly cultivated farm.
He was a man of energy, not afraid of labor, and
in consequence he met with success in his under-
takings. For many jears he continued bis farm-
ing operations, laying aside the duties of life only
when called to his final rest, in 1868. His wife
survived him many years. They had quite a large
family of children, of whom three sons and one

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

523

daughter are yet living — Wliiting A., wlio is mar-
ried and resides in Van Bun n Townsliip; Elvira,
now Mrs. Hinckley, a resident of Clark County,
Mo.: Stephen D., who is living near Keosanqna;
and William, of this sketch.

In his youth our subject assisted in the devel-
opment of the home farm and became familiar
with pioneer life, when their neighbors were the
red men and when deer and other wild animals
were quite numerous in the settlement. They had
to drive many miles to market and to mill and as
the roads were often almost impassable this was no
easy task. Amid such surroundings the boyhood
days of onr suliject were spent, and to the occu-
pation of farming be was reared. On attaining
to his majority he began making his own way in
the world, oi^erating a part of the old homestcRd.
In 1854 lie was married, in Van Buren County,
to Miss Matilda A. Peterson, a native of the county
and a daughter of Ralph and Mary (droves) Peter-
son, who were natives of the Buckeye State but
came to Iowa at a very early da}'. Thej' settled
upon and im[iroved a farm in ^'ernon Township,
Van Buren County, where they S|)ent the remain<l( r
of their lives. The death of Mr. Peterson occurred
in 1888, three years subsecjuent to the time when
his wife was laid to rest.

Mr. I'ellows, shortly after his marriage, purchased
a i)artially-improved farm of three hundred anil
forty acres, whicli he has now placed under a high
state of cultivation, while he has greatly enhanced
its value by tlie addition of many excellent im-
provements, including a good residence, barn, etc.
He raises an excellent grade of thorough-bred
stock, and in that branch of business, as in the de-
velopment of Ins land, has been quite successful.
In political sentiment he is a Democrat, but not
an active politician. He gives his support to the
cause of education and to other worthy enterprises
calculated to upbuild and benefit the community.

In 1876 Mr. Fellows was called upon to mourn
the loss of Ids wife, who died, leaving six I'hil-
dren — Evan is married and engaged in fanning;
Oeee, who is married and resides in Colorado;
Homer C. is Superintendent of the schools of Sac
City, Iowa; Clay, Lena and Ed at home. In 187.S
Mr. Fellows was again married, his second union

being with Valena A. Sperry, who was born in this
county, and is a daughter of Reuben and Kliz.a-
beth (Whitten) Sperry, natives of C)hio. They
came to Van Buren County at an early day, lo-
cating in Village Township. Mr. Sperry died in
Cass County, Neb., in 1875, but the mother is still
living and makes her home with her children. He
served in the Mexican War and vvas also for three
years one of the boys in blue during the late war.
The second union of Mr. Fellows lias been blessed
with five children — Jlary S., Rayf Lizzie Pearl **mJ-
^EEJio (twins),^na' Asa. The parents are memliers
of the Zion Church and their lives have ever been
such as to win them the high regard of those with
whom they come in contact.

-♦"•e-^

A.' KECK, who devotes liis time and atten-
tion to farming and stock-i aising, his home
being on section 32, Cedar Township, dates
his residence in Van Buren County from
1846, in which year he emigrated Westward from
Westmoreland County, Pa., the place of his nativ-
ity. The year of his birth was 1827, and he was the
second chilil born unto Henry and Mary (Hardin)
Keck, both of whom were natives of the Ke3'stone
State. The Keek family is of German origin, and
was founded in America at an early flay. The par-
ents of our subject spent the days of their child-
hood in Pennsylvania, were there married, and
made their home in Westmoreland County until
the spring of 1846, when desiring to try his ftjr-
tune in the West, Mr. Keck, accompanied by his
wife and children, made the journey to Van Buren
Count)', Iowa. They settled in Utica, but S|)ent
their last days in Bentonsport. The father died in
Ls62, the mother in 1874. They were worthy and
respected citizens, and ranked among the promi-
nent early settlers of the community.

I'ntil eighteen years of age, .1. A. Keck contin-
ued to reside in his native State, his time b(nng de-
voted to farm labor during the summer months,

m

524

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

wliile in the winter season he attendert the public
schools. It proved an important decision for him
when the family determined to seek a home in the
West, for in Van Buren County he has lieen blessed
with prosperity, and won for himself a foremost
place among its citizens. He remained under the
parental roof until the spring of 1852, when bid-
din" aood-by to home and friends, he crossed the
plains to California, making the journey with an
ox-team, and reaching his destination after four
months of travel. For some time he engaged in
mining on the American River, and in his opera-
tions met with a good degree of success. After
several months he returned to his home by the way
of tlie Isthmus of Panama and New York City, but
during the voyage cliolera broke out among the
passengers, and the vessel was quarantined at Key
West, Fla. The greater part of the crew died of
the disease, and the vessel was detained some time
before a sutticienl number could be obtained to re-
place them. To the homesick Californian this de-
lay was very tedious and wearisome, but finally the
vessel again started on its way to New York City,
whence Mr. Keck proceeded by rail to Rock ford,
111. Only a short time then elapsed before he was
again at home, receiving the welcome greetings of
family and friends.

A marriage ceremony performed in Van Buren
County, in the spring of 1853 united the destinies
of J. A. Keck and Miss Ingaba Ebbert, daughter of
James and Eliza (De Vecmon) Ebbert. The lady
is a native of Fayette Count}', Pa., and in the Key-
stone State, her father was also born, but her mother
was a native of Maryland. Twelve children graced
this union, and with one exception all are yet liv-
ing, namely: Mary, wife of Charles Dougherty, a
resident farmer of Cedar Township, Van Buren
County; Hugh G., who is married and is engaged
in the transfer business in Dodge City, Kan.; Cathe-
rine B., wife of Robert Ely. of Harrisburg Town-
ship; Rose E., wife of Taylor Easter, of Sumner
County, Kan.; George C, who is married and de-
votes his attention to the insurance business in
York, Neb.; Lida, wife of Uelbert .Tack, of Ben-
tonsport; John II., is married, and is a conductor on
the Burlington & Missouri Railroad, running in
Nebraska; James E., who is married, and is school

teaching in Harrisburg Township; AUie J., Charles
R., and Robert R., are at home. William died in
1873, at the age of two years.

The first purchase of land which Mr. Keck made
comprised two hundred acres, and became his prop-
erty in 1851. After his marriage, he took up his
residence thereon, and began the work of develop-
ing the same. So successful has he been in his
operations, that he was enabled to extend its bound-
aries until it now contains three hundred and forty
acres, three hundred and twenty of which is under
a high state of cultivation. The land is divided
into fields of convenient size, these are well tilled,
a substantial and commodious residence has been
erected, barns and other outbuildings have been
built, and everything necessary to a well regulated
farm may there be found. He is also raising fine
grades of all kinds of farm stock, and has several
head of thorough-bred cattle. His farming inter-
ests are extensive, and no branch of the business is
neglected, yet, a man of great energy and enter-
prise, Mr. Keck has found time to devote to other
interests. Since 1868, he has been connected with
the Bentonsport Flouring Mills, and for a number
of 3-ears operated a creamer}' at the same place.
He was at one time one of the most extensive stock
shippers in this section of the State, but increasing
years have caused him to lay aside some of his busi-
ness cares. Sagacious and far-sighted, he possesses
excellent business ability and to his own efforts may
be attributed his success in life. In political senti-
ment Mr. Keck is a stalwart Republican, having
supported that party since its organization. He
now holds the office of Justice of the Peace of Cedar
Township, a position which he has filled at inter-
vals in former years, and as Township Trustee he
has also done effective service for the community.
He was President of the County Agricultural Fair
for two years, and has frequently been a member
of the Board of Directors. During the late war,
although he could not enter the field, he served as
captain of a company of homeguanls, and in many
other ways displayed his patriotism and loyalty to
the Government. Sociall}', he is a member of the
Masonic order, belonging to Bentonsport Lodge,
No. 47, A. F. & A. M., La Fayette Chapter, of
Bonaparte, and Elchanan Commandery, of Keosau-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

525

qua. Himself and wife are members of the Mellio-
dist Episcopal C'lmich of I'tica, and their friends
and acquaintances in Van Buren County form an
extensive circle. Many 3'ears they have here re-
sided, and in tlie social world they are held in high
regard, while llie Keck household is the abode of
hospitality.

ACOB E. HAINLINE, M. D., the popular
Mayor and prominent jjliysician, of Cantril,
deserves more than a passing notice in this
volume. His enterprising and progressive
spirit has made hira a h'ader in the community and
he has been instrumental in the establishment of
many interests calculated to benefit both town and
county. His residence liere covers a period of but
eight years yet few men are more widely, and none
more favorably, known than the Doctor.

He was born in McDonough County, 111, Au-
gust 30, 1851, being the second child in a family of
ten childrtn. whoso parents were William C. and
Sarali E. B. (Logan) Ilainline. His father was a
native of Kentucky, his mother of Illinois. The
Hainline family is of German origin, and was
founded in America in the early part of the eight-
eenth century. The great-grandfather of our sub-
ject was one of eight men who accompanied Daniel
Boone, the celebrated pioneer, when he made a
permanent settlement in Kentucky. The grand-
parents were George and Flora (Cockerell) Hain-
line. Both were natives of Kentucky and the wife
wag an aunt of Senator Cockerell, of Missouri.

William Hainline was a farmer by occupation
and follows that pursuit in JIcDonough County,
111., being still the owner and operator of the farm
on which our subject first opened his eyes to the
light of day. The Doctor received good educational
advantages in his youth, his primary training in
the district schools being supplemented by a course
in the Normal and Scientific College of Macomb,
111., of which he is a graduate. He then entered
upon his business career as a teacher and followed
that profession until 1870, when he began the

study of medicine with Dr. H. B. Livermore, of
Macomb, under whose instruction lie continued his
reading for two years, when he entered the Jeflfer-
son Medical College of Philadelphia, Pa. After
attending two courses of lectures he was graduated
from that institution in the class of 1872. He re-
mained in the hospitals in the City of Brotherly
Love for five years, during which time he acquired
a knowledge of Ids profession which many an older
practitioner might well envy. For three years he
was the surgeon of the eye and ear department of
the Wells Hospital, and for two years had charge of
a ward in the Blockley '-lying in" hospital, after
which he spent about eighteen months in the St.
Luke Hospital as physician. He was also first as-
sistant of the Chair of Clinical Surger3' at the Jeflf-
erson Medical College. Although young in years,
Dr. Hainline showed rare talent and was given po-
sitions of distinction which enabled him to perfect
himself in his studies and acquire a skill which has
placed him in the front rank in the medical profes-
sion of Southeastern Iowa.

Leaving Philadelphia, the Doctor returned to
his native State, locating in Fulton County where
he embarked in practice. Previous to this time he
had wedded Miss Anna R. McElrath, daughter of
John McElrath, a native of Pennsylvania. The
lady was born in McDonough County, 111., April
3, 1851, and their narriage was celebrated on the
9th of February, 1871. After a short married life
of little more than a year ^Irs. Hainline died, leav-
ing one child — lames S. Some ten years later the
Doctor was again married his second union bein"
with Emma L. Roe, the only child of the distin-
guished Dr. Roc, who for some time filled one of
the Chairs in the St. Louis Medical College. He
was a stockholder in that institution but afterward
sold out and removed to Kirksville, IMo. Mrs.
Hainline was born in Knox County Mo., February
14, 1863, and spent the d.ays of her maidenhood in
Kirksville. Two children have been born of the
second marriage — Beatrice and Russell.

Determining to seek a location further westward,
in 1880 Dr. Hainline came to Iowa. He first lo-
cated in Mt. Pleasant, where ho was engaged in
practice two years, after which he came to Cantril,
where he at once opened an office, having now one

526

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

of the liirgcst nnd iinisl lucrative iiraetices of any
physician in the county. In 18 U he was the means
of saving the people from the terrible scourge that
passed through this country, known as the dysen-
tery epidemic. Althongli he has a superior knowl-
eiige and skill in his profession be is yet a student
and keeps abreast with ail the improvements and
discoveries relating to the science. Other interests
have also engrossed his attention. In 1887 he es-
tablished a drug-store which he still carries on, and
in the same year he began the imblication of a
[laper, known as tlio Cantril Neics, but after eight-
een months he discontinued the same as his prac-
tice and their business interests were so large that he
conld not give to it the proper attention. Socially,
he is a member of Cantril Lodge, No.535.K.P.,hold-
ing the office of Vice-Chancellor and also belongs
to Prairie Gem Lodge, No. 288, 1. O. O. F..in which
he is Left Supporter of the Vice-Grand. In political
sentiment he is a stalwart Republican and an influ-
ential member of iiis party in this locality. He
often attends tlie conventions and was a delegate
to the State Convention which nominated Gov.
L-iirabec for Chief Executive of the St&te. In
March, 1890. he was honored with an election to
the oHiee of Mayor f)f Canlril, a position which he
is cieilitably and acceptabl}' filling.

^€.^-^^-

AMES NELSON SMITH,oue of the most ex-
tensive stock-r-isers and dealers of Jefferson
County, was born in Liberty Township, and
is now living in Fairfield. His business
inleresls are extensive and he ranks among the
substantial citizens of tlie community.

The family of whicl\ ]\Ir. Smith is a member is
of German origin and was established in America
by his grandfather. John Smith, who emigrated
from Germany and settled in Kentucky, where
Greenup Smith, father of our subject, was born
November 27, 1806, near Cumberland Gap. In
his native State, Greenup Smith became overseer of
an extensive plantation, having charge of souk;

sixt^- negroes. In early manhood he Itecame ac-
quainted with and wedded Miss Sarah A. Johnson,
the union being celebrated near Cumberland Gap,
August 27, 1829. Mrs. Smith was born in Ken-
tucky, JMay 29, 1812, and was also of German de-
scinit. Her father served in the Revolutionary
War as a valiant supporter of the cause of inde-
pendence. Among the early settlers he emigrated
to Morgan County. 111., where a marble slab marks
his last resting place. His wife spent her last daj's
in Jefferson County, Iowa. Having engaged in
agricultural pursuits in Illinois until 1837, Greenup
Smith removed to Van Hureii County, Iowa, and
in the summer of the following jear came to Jeif-
erson County, locating four miles east of Liberty-
ville, vvhere he entered a farm, on which he and his
wife s|)ent the remainder of their lives. The
Tcrritor3' of Iowa bore little resemblance to the
great commonwealth of to-day. Mr. Smith bore
an important part in the transformation of the
wild land into fertile farms and although by an
accident he was greatly incapacitated for Labor, in
all possible ways he assisted in the progress and
advancement of the best interests of the comnuui-
it}'. In 1842, while raising a building, a log fell
on his leg and crippled him for life but although
this jilaced him under great disadvantage lie made
the most of his opportunities and became one of
the substantial farmers of Jefferson County. Widely
known, he was esteemed by all. and was a leading
citizen of the community during the early da3's of
its history. In 1844 and 1845 he served as County
Treasurer, being elected by the Whig party of
which he was a stanch advocate until the organiza-
tion of the Republican party. He and his wife
were faithful memliers of the Cumberland Presb3--
terian Church and church, society, and many
friends felt that they had suffered a deep loss when
these worthy people were called to the home
beyond. On a Sunday morning, the 12th of June,
1870, Mr. and ISIrs. Smith, their daughter, and
Mrs. Smith's mother were driving to church when
the horses became frightened and dashed down a
slope. The driver tried to stop them, but a bruUe
bit broke and after running some two hundred
yards the team made a sudden turn, throwing all
from the carriage. Mrs. Smith and her mother

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

527

were killed and Mr. Smith and the daughter badly
injured, hut in time they recovered. His deatli
occurred June 12, 1876.

In their family were nine children — John, born
July 9, 1830, died May -21, 1861 ; Martha A., born
October 12, 1831, died August 29, 1880 ; William
L., born March C, 1833, is a farmer of Jcffer.«on
County, Iowa ; Margaret A., born April 13, 1834,
is the wife of l^eter Yost, a resident of Jefferson
County, Iowa ; Mary J., born June 4, 1 835, is the
wife of Heurjr Newman who resides in Santa Rosa,
Cal.; Washington J. M., who served in the army
and received a severe wound in the arm, makes his
home in Fairfield. Iowa ; Sophia L., born Septem-
ber 7, 1838, died at the age of one year ; Sarah
L., born December 3, 1843, is the wife of James H.
McCoy, a resident of Jefferson County, Iowa.

The subject of this sketch, who was born on the
26th of November, 1841, was the eighth child of
the family. In his youth he became inured to the
hardships of farm life on the western frontier but
the training has doubtless proved a profitable one
as the lessons of industry, economy and enterprise
which he learned have been important factors in
his success in after life. After attending the
district schools in the neighborhood he supple-
mented his early education by a partial course in
Cherry Grove Seminary, of Illinois. When the
war broke out it was his desire to enter the army
but his father, not willing that he should do so.
proposed to fit him out for a trip across tlie plains.
In company with Josepii Rodabaugh, he drove live
yoke of cattle to Powder River in Baker County,
Ore., five months being consumed in making the
trip and in the West he engaged in freighting and
dealing in cattle. After operating successfully for
five years he returned by way of the Isthmus of
Panama and New York, in 1867.

In Van Buren County, on the 7th of May, 1868,
Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Isa-
bella, daughter of Joseph anfl Mary (Robins) Tay-
lor. Sh(i was born in Scotland, November 18,
1846, when seven years of age crossed the Atlantic
with her parents to America and in 1853, with the
family, located in Van Buren County. The young
couple began their domestic life in Birmingham,
Van Buren Couniy, where Mr. Smith ilealt in stock

and carried on pork packing. The latter business
he also followed in Keokuk and in 1873, he shipped
from northeastern Kansas, forty-flve car loads of
hogs and cattle, being the largest single shipment
ever made from that State. His residence in
Fairfield dates from 1876, since which time he has
dealt in stock and grain, doing a most extensive
business in that line in the county. That does not
comprise his business interests, however. In con-
nection with J. E. Roth, he owns the Blue Grass
Horse Farm, containing three hundred acres in
Liberty Township and in 1887 made a trip to
Europe, importing ten Norman and Belgian stall-
ions, six for his own ranch and the remaining four
for other parties. They now have some sixty
horses on the Blue Grass Farm. Besides the above
farm, Mr. Smith owns two hundred and eighty
acres of farm land, a grain house, a bus barn and
good residence. He has indeed prospered in his
business affairs and may be justly proud of his
success which is due almost entirely to his own
efforts. Such men make good citizens and it was
a fortunate daj- for Jefferson County when he de-
cided to make his home within its borders. While
in Oregon, Mr. Smith cast his first Presidential
vote for Abraham Lincoln, nor has he yet wav-
ered in his support to the Republican party. Both
he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian
Church of which he is a Trustee.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a family of three
children, two of whom are living; Pearl M.. died at
the age of seven months ; E. Russell, the eldest,
is a student of Parsons College, and Harry, who
at this writing, is attending Elliott Business Col-
lege, of Burlington, Iowa.

-^-

-Er--

fJCHARD MYERS is a farmer and stock
raiser of Polk Township, Jefferson County,
i4s\\V carrying on operations in those lines of in-
dustry on section 35. He has made his
home in this community since 1855, -ind has there-
fore witnessed much of the growth and develop-

.•k28

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

nient of Soullieastern Iowa. He is a respected
citizen, worthy the esteem of liis feUow-men aiul
we are glad thus to present liis sketch to his many
friends.

Tlie record of his life is as follows: lie was born
in Washington County, Pa., in 1830, and in a family
of thirteen children, was the eldest. His parents,
Stephen and Sarali (Huffman) Myers, were also
natives of the Keystone State, where the father
followed farming until 1855, which year witnessed
his emigration to Jefferson County, Iowa. The
West, with its splendid opportunities attracted him
and with tiie hope of bettering his financial condi-
tion, he made a settlement in Jefferson County,
where he purchased three hundred and seven acres
of partially improved land, located in Polk Town-
ship. His excellent wife died at her home in this
community in 1872, and four days later he was
also called to his final rest.

The days of his boyhood and youth our subject
spent upon his father's farm and in the schools of
his native State, he acquired a good English edu-
cation. Having attained to mature years, in 1852,
he married Miss Matilda f lault, a native of Penn-
sylvania, and their union has been blessed witli
five children yet living: John, the eldest of the
family, is married and resides in Pueblo, Col.;
Sarah is now Mrs. Tate, of Black Hawk Township,
Jefferson County; Curtis is married and resides in
Jefferson County; Stephen, a resident of Fairfield,
is also married ; and the youngest, Mary, is now
Mrs. Gilmer, of Abingdon.

The same year in which his father emigrated to
Iowa, Richard Myers and his family sought a home
yi the West. His life work has been that occupa-
tion to which he was reared. Purchasing a par-
tiallj' improved farm of eighty acres, five years
after his arrival, he at once began its development
and has been so successful in his undertakings that
he was enabled to extend its boundaries until il
now comprises two hundred and five acres in Pulk
and Locust Grove Townships. Many excellent
improvements, both of a useful and ornamental
character, have been added, good grades of stock
are there to be seen, together with the latest im-
proved machinery, while the well-tilled fields give
evidence to the passer-by of the thrift and enterprise

of the owner. He is truly a self-made roan, for
with no pecuniary assistance, he started out in life
and tlirough his own efforts has acquired the prop-
erty which today places him in comfortable cir-
cumstances and ranks him among the substantial
farmers of the comnuinit\-. His life has been a
busy one, yet he has found time, aside from his
business, to devote to the advancement of all
worthy interests calculated to benefit the commun-
ity and also to church work, himself and wife being
members of the Baptist Church. He does not take
an active part in political affairs, but keeps himself
well informed on the leading issues of the day and
casts his ballot with the Republican party.

In 1868, Mr. M3ers was called upon to mourn
the loss of his wife and the following year he was
joined in wedlock with Ruth Fisher, a native of
Des Moines Township, and a daughter of George
and Mary Jane (Cloke) Fisher, of whom further
mention is made later on in this sketch. Three
children grace their union: Frank, Emmett and
Laura Alice. Mr. Myers is a practical and pro-
gressive farmer, who, thoroughly understanding his
business, manages his interests in the best possible
way and thereby reaps a good income as the reward
of his labor.

George Fisher, father of Mrs. Myers, was a na-
tive of Pennsylvania, but in his youth removed to
Indiana, where he became acquainted with and
married Miss Cloke, a native of that State. From
Indiana they removed to Illinois in 1836 and two
years later came to what is now Des Moines Town-
ship, Jefferson County, Iowa, but was then a part
of the Territory- of Michigan. He entered land and
improved it, settling upon the purchase where he
continued to make his home for many years. He
was a stirring and wide-awake farmer who labored
unceasingly for the interests of himself and family.
He became a prominent citizen of the community,
took an active part in politics and was an untiring
woiker in the Baptist Church. His upright life
commended itself to the respect and confidence of
all with whom he, cime in contact and won him
many warm friends. He was called to his final
home in 1876, having survived his wife for some
twenty-six years. They were the parents of eight
children: Mary Ann, now Mrs. Black, of Kansas;

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

82S»

Ruth J., the honored wife of Richard Myers; Mil-
ton, who is married and nialies his home in Locust
Grove Township, enlisted for the late war in 1861,
in Company H, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry and after
serving three years was honorably discharged in
Davenport; Rachel is now the wife of William
Salts; Rhoda married Samuel Salts; Clara C. mar-
ried Christian Maxson and died in 1872; Martha E.
died when two years of age. Barbara, the j'oung-
est, is the wife of David Salts.

^S*J#iL^e

"^ OHN C. HAGLER, an honored pioneer of
Iowa, of 1832, who, since 1843 has made
his home in Van Buren Count3', and is now
a resident of Milton, was born in Stewart
County, Tenn., on the 19th of March, 1814, and is
one of a family of thirteen children, numbering six
brothers and seven sisters, of whom five brothers
and four sisters are now living. The parents of
this family were Cleveland and Nancy Hagler,
natives of North Carolina, both born and reared in
the region of the Little Pedee River. They removed
to Tennessee in early life, whence the^' emigrated
to Madison County, III., with their children, in
1819, and Mr. Ilagler there devoted himself to
farming until 1832, when, accompanied b}' his fam-
ily, he took up his residence in "Warren County of
the same State, where he made his home until 1843,
when he emigrated to the Iowa Territory, the fam-
ily locating in Jackson Township on Government
lanil. Mr. Hagler followed the occupation of
farming througiiout his entire life. He held vari-
ous township offices and lived to a ripe old age, his
death occurring in 1877, having survived his wife
about three years.

John C. Hagler was reared on a farm and re-
ceived his education in the country district scliools
of Illinois. When eighteen years of age he turned
his face toward the setting sun, and crossing the
Mississippi at a point where now flourishes the
great city of Burlington, set foot upon Iowa soil.
At that time one log house alone marked the advent

of the white race into what was then an unorgan-
ized territor)-,but which was attached to Michigan
in 1834, became Wisconsin Territory in 183G, and
was organized into the Territory of Iowa in 1838.
Mr. Hagler erected a log cabin on a claim near the
present site of Burlington, where he spent the
winter, returning to Illinois in the spring of 1833.
The following fall he went to Dubuque, Iowa, then
a mere hamlet, and followed teaming witli a yoke
of oxen, between Keokuk, Galena, Mineral Point
and Plattville, until the fall of 1834, when he re-
turned to Warren County, 111. He engaged in
farming there and was married in that county on
the 30th of November, 1837, to Miss Rachel Baker,
who was born in St. Claire Count}', 111., May 10,
1817.

In the spring of 1843 Mr. Hagler emigrated
from Illinois to Iowa, and located in Jackson
Township, Van Buren County, near Milton. His
brother, Amos Hagler, in company with two other
families, were the earliest settlers in this township,
they having located here in the spring of 1838.
The brother died November 10, 18(14. John C.
Hagler purchased Government land on section 32,
town 68 north, range 11 west, where he engaged in
farming and stock-raising. He added to his origi-
nal purchase until he had four hundred acres in
this township, in addition to which he now owns
two hundred and forty acres near Rippey, Greene
County, Iowa, and eighty acres in Woodbury
County. In 1866 he began buying and shipping
live stock, which business he continued until 1884.
His first markets were St. Louis, Mo., and Pittsburg,
Pa., and he also shipped some stock to New York,
but later the greater part of his shipments were
sent to Chicago. He purchased considerable Texas
stock in early days, but subsequently bought Iowa
cattle. His shipments averaged about two cars of
stock weekly, and he was known throughout Iowa
as one of the largest stock dealers of the State. In
1877. retiring somewhat from active business life,
he removed to Milton, where he has since resided.

Mr. and Mrs. Hagler were the parents of seven
children, four sons and three daugiiters, of whom
five are living. George W., the eldest, was born
August 9, 1840, served three years during the late
war as a member of tlie Ninth Missouri Cavalry,

530

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALRUM.

man-ied Miss Ttaltie Wright, and resides in Ida
County-, Iowa, where he is engaged in farming;
Nancy E., burn July 30, 184-2. is tlie wife of George
Pippinger, and is a resident of Ida Count}-, Iowa.
Mr. Hagler, Sr., has two brothers and a sister liv-
ing in Ida County, besides his son and daughter.
Marion C the next younger, was born March 25,
1844, and died August 4, 1845; EUsha C, born
May 20, 1846, and died August lb, 1847; Susanna,
born February 16, 1848, is the wife of Calvin
Huddleston, a farmer of Jackson Tov.nship, who
enlisted in the Ninth Missouri Cavalry, and served
three years in llie late war; John Fletcher was born
January 31, 1850. wedded Lizzie Abernathy. who
lives in Shenandoah, Iowa; David M., born January
27, 1855, married F^mma Smith, and is farming in
Jackson Township.

On the 24th of September, 1883, Mr. Hagler was
called upon to mourn the loss of his esteemed wife,
who had lieen his companion on life's journey for
nearly forty-six years, and who was a consistent
member of the IMethodist Episcopal Church. He
was again married September 30, 1885, the lady of
his choice being Mrs. Mary J. Corvvin, widow of
B. W. Corwin, and daugliter of Josiah and Hattie
(Taylor) Tufts. i\Irs. Hagler was born in Lebanon,
Warren County, Ohio, January 22, 1844. was
reared and educated in her native town, and on the
14th of September, 1865, became the wife of
Lieut. B. W. Corwin. Her husband was born
in Warren County, Ohio, April 2, 1841, and was a
Lieuteiiant of the Second Ohio Heavy Artillery.
In 1867 he removed with his family toKeosauqua,
Iowa, and on the 15th of February, 1877, his death
occurred in Scotland Count}-, Mo. Mrs. Hagler
had five chililren by her Orst marriage. Ilattie
Corwin, the eldest, was born October 8, 1866, and
is the wife of Charles Drake, of Scotland County,
Mo.; Winnie, born December 31, 1867, died Octo-
ber 29, 1887; Joseph E., born October 14, 1869;
Frank E., April 11, 1875; and John W., August
20, 1876. Mrs. Hagler is a member of the
Christian Church. JMr. Hagler has always been a
Republican in iwlities and has held various tow-n-
sbip offices; was Justice of the Peace, Notary Pub-
lic, Townshii) Trustee, and a member of the School
Board. Socially, he is a member of Aurora Lodge,

No. 150, A. F. & A. M., of Milton. Toward the
breaking out of tlie war he engaged in merchandis-
ing with John AVright, and continued some six
years. Fifty-eight years mark the time since he
came to Iowa.

,ORVIL N. GREEN. Among the living
representatives of one of the substantial
ii^^xia pioneer families of Jefferson County, is the
gentleman whose name appears at the head of this
sketch and we feel that we afford our readers
pleasure in presenting to thetii this record of his
life. His father, Wilson Green, a native of Hun-
tingdon County, Pa., was born August 25, 1809,
and nas a son of Nathaniel and Ruth (Johnson)
Green, the former of English descent and the
latter of Scotch lineage. Nathaniel Green lived to
the age of eighty-eight years and his wife reached
the advanced age of ninety-eight years.

Wilson Green, father of our subject, is one of
nine children, six sons and three daughters. In
early life he learned the carpenter's trade which
served him admiralily on coming to Iowa, for in
that early day workmen were scarce and his ser-
vices were highl}' prized. On May 14, 1835, he
wedded Emily J. Frazey, a native of Bedford
County, Pa., born March 10, 1818. Soon after
their marriage they removed to Portage County,
Ohio, and in 1845, emigrated to Jefferson County,
Iowa, locating on section 31, Lockridge Township.
Mr. Green was a successful farmer, owning a good
farm, the value of which he greatly enhanced by
adding many improvements thereto. Both he and
his wife were active members of the Methodist
P^piscopal Church, .as w^re also his parents before
him. Politi('ally, he was a Democrat. His death
occurred on the 26th of September, 1854, and later
his widow married James H. Hendricks, with whom
she still lives on the old homestead. By her first
marriage she became the mother of seven children,
all of wluim are yet living save Ira E., who died
when about twelve years old. Those who still

r"""""B»

'IONS

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

533

survive are Norvil N., the eldest of the faaiily;
Morrison B., a farmer.of Washington County. Iowa;
Joseph A. wlio is engaged in the hotel business in
Curtis, Nebraska; AlmiraE. wife of Horace Steel,a
resident of Washington County. Iowa; Frances
III., wife of Simeon T. Caviness, whose home is in
J'efferson County, and James W. who devotes his
time and attention to farming in Kansas.

We now take up the personal history of our sub-
ject. Ohio is the State of his nativity and October
8, 1836, the dale of his birth. The first nine years
of his life were spent in Portage County, whence,
in 1845, he accompanieil his parents on their west-
ward journey to the Territory of Iowa. Since that
time he has never left the old homestead on which
the family located, but now has charge of and owns
the greater part of it, consisting of two hundred
and eight}- acres of good land, most of which he
has placed under a high state of cultivation and
whicii therefore yields a ready and suilal)le return
f(n- the care and labor he bestows upon it. Ac-
quainted with the occupation of farming in all its
details and possessing unbounded thrift and in-
dustry he cannot but be successful. He is largely
interested in sheep raising.

Religiously. Mr. Green has embraced the faith of
his parents and is an active rapmber and faithful
worker in the church, but in politics he hns not fol-
lowed the paternal examiile, being astanch Republi-
can and a warm advocate of prohibition. He de-
votes liimself entirely to the interests of his farm
and as tlie result ranks among the successful agri-
culturalists of his township.

-^^^^^^t^[!^:5^^^^-

<^OHN A. SPIELMAN, a retired hardware
merchant of Fairfield and one of the promi-
nent pioneers of Jefferson Countj', was born
in Columbus, Ohio, Jul}- 10, 1834, and is
the son of John and Saloma (Berge) Spielman,
whose sketch appears on another page of this work.
Our subiect came to Jefferson County with his
parents in the sining of 1840. and spent the succeed-

ing ten years of his life on his father's farm in
Walnut Township, attending the primitive schools
of pioneer times or aiding in the cultivation of the
homestead. In 1850, when sixteen years of age,
he returned to his native city and entered the Cap-
ital University, where he pursued his studies for
two years. He then served an apprenticeship to
tlie tinner's trade and in the fall of 1855, when a
little past his majority returned to Iowa. For a
j-ear and a half he worked at his trade in Burling-
ton and then went to Mt. Pleasant, where he en-
gaged as clerk for Presley Saunders, the pioneer
merchant of that town and after spending a }'ear
in that place started a general store in a little
village in Jefferson County, called Germanville,
which was situated in Walnut Township. He was
there married on the 24lh of April, 1860, to Miss
Christina Hirschbcrger, a daughter of Godfrey
Hirschberger, and a nutive of Lancaster, Ohio.

In the Presidential cami)aign of the same year,
when Lincoln was the nominee for President, Mr.
Spielman organized a company of Wideawakes
which he drilled and subsequently, after the break-
ing out of the war, converted rnanj' of them into
soldiers. He raised a company for the Seventeenth
Iowa Regiment — Com pan j' D — and also a part of
Compa'.iy K. In February, 18G2, he was commis-
sioned Second Lieutenant and leaving his wife to
carry on the store, marched to the front. The
Captain of his company was dismissed from the
service and Lieut. Spielman should have succeeded
to the ca|)taiucy, but by some mistake the order
was never enforced. However, the command of
the company devolved upon Lieut. Spielnnin who
acted as captain until his former superior officer
was reinstated when he resigned , after eighteen
months of active service. He was commissioned
Captain on Gen. Jolin E. McPherson's staff, but the
commission did not reach him until after his
resignation. Capt. Spielman took part in the seige
of Corinth and the l)attle of luka, and after the
engagement at the former [dace on the 2nd, 3d and
4tli of October, the regiment was complimented by
Gen. Rosencrans, who said lliat it had cai)tured
more prisoners an! colors than any other regiment
in the field. Our subject was in command of his
company during Grant's march in the rear of Vicks-

53-1

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

bm-g. iiailieipatcd in the Yazoo expedition, the
batlle at Grand Gulf. Miss., on the 1st of May,
1863, fought at Bayou, Miss., Port Gibson, Black
River and the battle of Raymond, May 12 ;
(larticipated in the capture of Jackson, Miss., May
14, the battle at Champion Hills, May 17 and 18,
tlie engagement at Black River on the following
day and tlie celebrated charge on Vicksburg, May
27. The Seventeenth Iowa and Fifty-sixth Illinois
Regiments were the only two that guarded Ft.
Hill which Logan blew up. Capt. Spielman was
al^o in the seige of Vicksburg until after its sur-
lender. A month later he went up the river and on
the 18th of August, 1863, resigned his position,
Returning from the war he located in Fairfield and
established himself in the hardware business which
he has carried on continuously since.

Mr. and Mrs. Spielman were blessed wiih a
family of six children, three sons and three daugh-
ters— Henry A., the eldest was born on the 4th of
March, 1861, the day on which President Lincoln
was first inaugurated, graduated from Carthage
College, of Carthage, 111., married Miss Alice
Geiger and is now a commercial traveler, residing
in Fairfield. John G. who graduated from the
State University of Iowa, is a civil engineer by
profession. Carrie E. is the wife of Rev. C. S.
McElhinney of the Presbyterian Church, of Colum-
bus Junction, Iowa ; Fred A. is a hardware mer-
chant of Fairfield, the junior member of , the firm
of J. A. Spielman & Son. The younger daughters.
May and Louisa Belle, are still at home.

Mr. Spielman and wife are members of the
English Lutheran Church, and Mr. Spielman has
been prominently connected with that church
officially. He was Treasurer of the State Synod
for seventeen consecutive years, a delegate to the
General Synod six times, and has acted as special
agent for the Board of Church Extension of the
General Synod, in securing locations for new mis-
sions in Iowa and while serving in that capacity
aided in locating three churches. He bought the
church of his denomination in Burlington and
deeded it to the society. He also aided in establish-
ing the church at Davenport and one in Sioux City.
He has held the offices of Deacon, Elder, Trustee
and Secretary of his local church and has been an

efficient worker in the Sunday-school cause, having
served as president of the Jefferson County Sunday-
school Association and labored in the interests of
the State Sunday-school Association. He was also
a member of the Board of Trustees of Carthage
College and served as its President tw o years, when
he resigned on account of failing health.

Mr. Spielman is a member of George Strong
Post, No. 19, G. A. R. and while serving in the
capacity of Post Commander had the honor of un-
veiling the only soldiers' monument in Jefferson
County. At the exercises attending that event he
presided and made the opening address. He is the
father of the regimental organization, was its first
president and held that position four years. He
has attended all the re-unions in this part of the
State and was the presiding officer on the second
day of the re-union in Creston. in October, 1886,
when Gen. Phil Sheridan was present the last time
he was west of the Mississippi. In political senti-
ment, Mr. Spielman is a Republican and has been
an active worker for his party since its organiza-
tion, aiding not a little in its advancement by his
entertaining speeches in its behalf. He has held
various local (jfflces, such as township trustee and
clerk and Alderman of the city, and is the present
secretary of the Old Settlers Association. He is
an affalile, genial gentleman, well informed, broad
and liberal in his views, and enjoys the confidence
and respect of a large circle of acquaintances.

<¥ONATHAN D. ROWLAND is the junior
member of the firm of Rowland Bros., gen-
eral merchants of Milton, Iowa. He is a
native of this State, his birth having occur-
red in Davis County, on the 4th of November,
18.53, his parents being Samuel P. and Elizabeth
(Russell) Rowland. The earl}- life of our subject
passed uneventfully. His education was acquired
in the district schools of the neighborhood, and at
the academy of Troy, and he was reared upon the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

535

farm until twenty-two j'ears of age, when lie left
the parental roof. On approaching years of ma-
turity, he was iiniterl in marriage with Miss Mamie
Claflin. their marriage being celebrated in Johnson
County, Kan., on the 27th of February, 1872. The
lady is a daughter of Major AVallace Claflin, de-
ceased, who was born in Van Buren County, Iowa,
and was a son of Ira Claflin. He graduated from
West Point. jNIrs. Rowland is a native of Hagers-
town. Md., and by the union of the young couple,
two children, sons, have been born: Lamar, born
November 23, 1883; and Downs, born on the 19th
of September, 1885.

In political sentiment, Mr. Rowland is a Demo-
crat, and a stanch supporter of that part}-, with
which he has affiliated since attaining his majority.
He is not only connected with the business inter-
ests of Milton as a member of the firm of Rowland
Bros., Init is also a director and stockholder in the
Citizens' Bank. He is one of the live young busi-
ness men of the city, whose future promises success,
and if he pursue the path in which he is now walk-
ing, in a short time he will doubtless be ranked
among the substantial and leading citizens of Van
Buren County.

><=^EORGE PENNINGTON, an early settler of
Ij Van Buren Countj', who for thirtj^-three

\JJ years has held the office of Justice of the
Peace, is now a resident of Milton. Delaware is
the State of his nativity. He was born in Kent
County, September 30, 1823, and is a son of Ben-
jamin and Ann (Wilson) Pennington, who were
also natives of the same county. The father died
in Delaware in early life, after which the mother
became the wifeof William Russell. The family re-
moved to Rush County, Ind., in 1835, and some
years later to Franklin County, where the subject of
this sketch was reared on a farm and received a com-
mon-school education. He was married on the 24th
of September, 1843. in Franklin County. Ind., the
lady of his choice being Miss Casander Amos.

daughter of Ditto Amos, and a native of Kentucky.
One child, a daughter, was born unto them — I^Iary
Adeline, who died aged three years, in this
county.

In April, 1846, Mr. Pennington came to Iowa
and settled in Jackson Township, Van Buren
County, and engaged in farming. During his
residence there his wife died on the 24th of July,
1848, and on the 1st of August, 1850, he was again
married, to Miss Mary M. Mowre, daughter of
David and Sarah Mowre. She was born in Ken-
tucky in February, 1834; during her girlhood
accompanied her parents to Indiana, and in 1848
cnme to Iowa. Mr. and JNIrs. Pennington are pa-
rents of the following children: David Benjamin,
the eldest, died at the ago of eight months; Sarah
Ann resides with her parents; Mary Frances is the
wife of Samuel A. McCombs, ut Milton; Charlotte
E. is the wife of Oscar Smith, a resident of Fairfield,
Iowa; Amanda J. wedded A. H. Dodge, who is liv-
ing in Bioorafield, Iowa; George Sherman married
Miss Kate Gilfillan, and resides in Milton; Charles
E. is single, and is now located in Center ville, Iowa;
Cora Belle, the youngest.is unmarried and yet makes
her home with her parents.

In 1867, Mr. Pennington left the farm and re-
moved to Milton, where he engaged in hotel keeping
with good success for a number of years. He was
elected Justice of the Peace in 1851, immediately
after the first code of the State was enacted, and
was re-elected from term to term, having for the
past fortj' years, with the exception of six terms,
held the office continuously. He is now serving
in the same position, his time not expiring until
1891. He has served more years in the office of
Justice than any man in V.an Buren County, and
more acceptably — a fact indicated by his lono-
retention in the position and by the large majorities
which he receives at the elections. His views on
political subjects are in support of the principles
of the Democratic party. Other local offices he has
frequently filled. He was at one time the candidate
of his party for the position of Sheriff, and
received the flattering home endorsement of one
hundred and six votes out of one hundred and
forty-six cast in tlie precinct, although defeated by
an adverse party m.ijority in the county. Mv. Pen-

536

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ninglon served as Notar}" Public many years; has
liclcl the office of sub-district Treasurer of his town-
ship, and is now Secretary of the independent
school district of Milton. He has also assessed the
city of Milton ever since it was incorporated as a
city, and is row entering upon a new term in that
position, and has assessed the township several
times. He is a member of Jackson Lodge, No. 28,
K. P., and he and his wife, with several of their
children, are members of the Methodist Church.
Mr. Pennington is a genial and affable man, whose
sound judgment and upright and impartial dis-
charge of duty have won for him the confidence and
esteem of his fellow citizens.

^^-

"^ AMES BELL, deceased, an honored pioneer
of Van Buren County, of 1837, was born
in Virginia, about 1 810. In early child-
hood he was left an orphan and reared by
strangers, with whom in his boyhood he went to
Kentucl\y. Prior to his marriage he emigrated to
Illinois, locating in Hancock County, wiiere he
formed the acquaintance of Miss Barbara Walker,
whom he afterward made his wife. With the hope
of securing a home, in 1837, thej' started westwaid
crossed the Mississippi and made a location in the
central part of Van Buren County. Iowa, about
two miles north of Iveosaucpia. At that time there
were only one or two families living in the central
portion of the county and a cornfield marked the
site of the present county seat. It will thus be seen
that the work of advancement and development
had not been carried forward with very rapid
strides. Mr. Bell entered land whicli he trans-
formed into a fine farm, and at his death the old
homestead comprised two hundred and forty acres
of as highly cultivated land as could be found in the
county.

Seven children, four sons and three daughters
were born of the union of James Bell and Barbara
Walker. Eli, the first born, married Sarah A.
Matthews and his farm, a short distance north of

Keosauqua, joins the old homestead; Rachel is the
wife of Mr. Jackson, a resident farmer of Davis
County, Iowa; John R. who operates the home
farm has been three times married, his present wife
being Mary Miller; George W., an enterprising
business man of Milton, is represented elsewhere in
this work; Sarali K. is the wife of Jonathan Denning
who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Van
Buren County ; Henry who married Almira Kim-
ball, was drowned in the Des Moines River at
Pittsburg, in 1870, and one died in infancy.

The death of Mrs. Bell occurred in October,
1863, but Mr. Bell survived his wife some seven
years, dying in 1870, in the sixtj^-first year of his
age. Both he and his wife were members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church and were identified
with the first church in the county. lie was a
Democrat in politics but gave little attention to
political affairs. He was familiarly known among
his neighbors and friends as "Uncle Jim," and the
word of Uncle Jim was as readil}- received as the
bond of most men. He was genial and kindly by
nature and was always ready to give assistance, en-
couragement or sympathy to those in need of his
kindly offices. A typical i)ioneer, such as made the
era of good feeling proverbial in the early settle-
ment of the West, his sketch deserves representa-
tion in tills volume which will long perpetuate his
memory.

■|f^,ENJAMlN F. HUMPHREY, a jeweler of
Milton, is a native of Illinois, born July 3,
1854. His father was George Humphrey,
who was born in Ohio, about 1826. and in
1832, with his parents came to Van Buren County,
where he wedded Miss Mary Sheets, the mother of
the subject of our sketch. A more extended notice
of this worthy couple is given on another page of
our history.

Benjamin F. Humphrej' during his ciiildhood
davs was brought by his ))arents to Van Buren
County, where in the common schools his education
was acquired. His early life passed uneventfully

PORTRAIT AND BIOURAPHICAL ALBUM.

537

and on nearing the jears of maturity he made
choice of the jeweler's trade as a business which
he believed he could piofilably and pleasantly fol-
low through life. In 1877, he Ijetjan learniivj: llic
trade in Lebanon, where he continued about a year.
He came to Milton the following year and in 1879
established his present business. Air. Humi)lirey
has now been located in Milton some eleven 3-ears
and has biiilt up a fine trade, while his skill in his
calling has won for him the confidence of those
needing the services of a skilled watchmaker.

An important event in the life of Mr. Humphrey
occurred on the 5th of April, 1882, which day wit-
nessed the celebration of his marriage to Miss
Mattie Pennington, daughter of Benjamin Pen-
nington, of Milton. The Iad3' is a native of Davis
County, Iowa, and four children have been born of
their union, one son and three daughters: Mabel,
Laura Elota, Sidney Glenn and VaMUi LaKue, all
born in Milton. Mr. Hun)phrey is a member of
the Order of Knights of Pythias, belonging to
Jackson Lodge, No. '2^, K. P., and a Republican
in politics.

THOMAS R. SJIITH, an extensive farmer and
stock-raiser located on section 20, Polk
Township, came to Jefferson County in the
spring of 1845, from Hancock County, In(L, where
in 1830, he first opened his eyes to the light of day.
He was the sixth child born unto David and Nancy
(Davis) Smith, both of whom were natives of Vir-
ginia. The family became residents of Jefferson
County, Iowa, in 1845, and the parents continued
to here make their home until called to their final
rest. Mr. Smith first bought about four hundred
acres of land but added to this by subsequent pur-
chase. He was a man of excellent business ability
and became an influential citizen of the commun-
ity.

The subject of this sketch acquired a limited
education in the schools of Hancock County, Ind.,
and Jefferson County, Iowa, after which he assisted

in opening up a farm for cultivation. On attain-
ing his majority, he began life for liimself ou a
farm comprising one hundred and sixty acres of raw
land which he placed under fence, transformed into
fertile fields and improve<l by the erection of good
l)nddings, etc. In 1860, he was married, the lady
of his choice being Miss Nancy Muse, daughter of
Warner and Martha (Stewart) JMusc, and Mrs.
Smith like her parents is a native of Virginia. Her
father is now deceased, but iier mother is still liv-
ing and makes her home with her daughter.

Since coming to this county, Mr. Smith has re
sided upon the old homestead. After his father's
death, he purchased a half interest in the farm
which he still owns and operates. His landed pos-
sessions aggregate nine hundred and twenty acres
in Jefferson Countj', the greater part of which he
uses for pasturage as he raises a large amount of
stock. In this branch of his business he has been
quite successful, it netting him a good income.
Throughout the years of his manhood he has been
blessed with prosperity and is now numbered
among the wealthier citizens of the county. His
business abilities are above the ordinary; shrewd
and far sighted, he considers well before he makes
a bargain and then does not come off loser, neither
does he make the other party lose by the trans-
action for he is fair and honest in all his dealings
and finds no need to resort to strategy to accom-
plish his end. Socially, he is a member of Abing-
don Lodge, No. 104, A. F. <fe A. M. and his wife is
a faithful member of the Christian Church of
Abingdon. He takes quite an active part in edu-
cational matters and in politics is a stalwart sup-
porter of Democratic princi|)les.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born three
children and the family circle yet remains unbroken,
though the elder two have married and gone to
homes of their own. Nathan, the only son, married
Miss Lillie Schoolen and is now engaged in farming
in Polk Township; Martha is the wife of Jones
Johnson, a resident farmer of the same township,
and Myrta is still with her parents. The children
have been provided with good educational advan-
tages, such as to fit them for the practical duties of
life and have become useful members of society.
Mr. Smith resided for two years under the terri-

538

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

torial government of Iowa and has made bis home
in the State during its entire existence as such. He
is widely and favorably known and the friends of
the family are many.

e^

>|<^.^

ON. MOSES BLACK is numbered among
tiie pioneer settlers of .lefferson Count}', of

,^ 1844, and from that time until his death

^ was prorain>ently identified with its history,
growth and .advancement. He was born in Adams
Countj-, Ohio. Seiitember 2(?, 1801, and was a son
of Samuel and Jane (Mahaffcv) Black. He was
of Scotch-Irish descent, his paternal grandfather,
James Black, having emigrated to America from
the North of Ireland, and settled in Westmoreland
County, Pa. He was born in Londonderry, of the
Emerald Isle, in 1732, and wedded Sail}' William-
son. Their son Samuel Black married Jane ]Ma-
haffey and their union was blessed by the birth of
Moses Black, the subject of tliis sketch.

Having attained to mature years, our subject
was joined in wedlock on the 30th of August, 1 827,
in Ohio, with Nanc}' Glasgow, and during their
residence in the Buckeye State, they became par-
ents of six children, as follows: Sarah J., who is
now the wife of C. W. Gage, of Fairfield; William
G., who married Kachel Stever, and resides in Fair-
field Township; Rhoda JI., wife of J. G. Burkhart,
of Locust Grove Township; Selina, who died at
the age of two years; James Madison, who married
Jlmeline Rider, and is living in Fairfield; and Pau-
line, who died at the age of twent}' years. After
the birth of the last named daughter, the family re-
moved to Jefferson County, and the following chil-
dren were here born: Catherine, who died at the
age of twenty-two years; Susanna, who is the wife
of George McRea, of Fairfield; Haddassah M., who
is living in Fairfield; Francis, who died in infancy;
Moses .Walker, who married Catherine Averill, and
resides in Fairfield; and Robert Theodore, who
died at the age of twenty-two years.

It was in 1841 that Mr. Black first left his na-

tive State; journeying Westward, he at lengtli lo-
cated in Brown County, 111., where he remained
until the spring of 1844, which witnessed his ar-
rival in Jefferson County, Iowa. He made a set-
tlement in Des Moines Township, and continued
to own and operate that farm for nineteen years,
when in 18G3, he sold out and purchased a farm
north of Fairfield, where he resided until his death
May 1, 18G7. In his early life he was a ship car-
penter, but his later j-ears he devoted exclusively to
agricultural pursuits. His wife, who long survived
him, died on the 14th of October, 1880, at the age
of seventy-two years.

During his entire residence in this community,
Mr. Black was regarded as a prominent and influen-
tial citizen, highly esteemed for his sterling worth
and strict integrity. In his early manhood he be-
came a member of the I'nited Presbyterian Church
and continued one of its faithful workers for forty
years or up to the time of his death. He was hon-
ored hy being made the first County Judge of
Jefferson County, under the system of county or-
ganization that went into effect in \>'h\. He was
an anti-slavery Whig in early life, and while serv-
ing as County Judge, aided in tlic organization of
the Republican parly in Iowa, at Burlington, and
was one of those who took part in the informal
meeting in that city in 1863 for the purpose of or-
ganizing tlie party. He had little taste for public
office, and accepted the Countj^ Judgeship with re-
luctance, but having been elected to the office, he
displayed the same fidelity to duty which ever
marked his career, whether as a public or private
citizen. He was an industrious, upright, honorable
man, enterprising and public-spirited, and was
most highly respected by all who knew him.

ELISHA H. SKINNER, banker and general
merchant of Birmingham, is a native of
. I that town, his birth having occurred on the

24th cf October, 1846. His father, Charles D.
.Skinner, was born in Chaut:uiqua County, N. Y.,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

539

May 21, 1816, and when thirteen years of age re-
moved with his parents to Holmes County, Ohio.
In 1839, he came to this county a single man und
took a claim near Birmingham. Soon afterwards,
however, he met a lady whose hand he sought in
marriage — Miss Nane^' Barnes, and on the r2th of
November, 1840, the)' were united in marriage.
Mrs. Skinner was a native of Holmes County, Ohio,
and with her parents came to Iowa in 1839. Mr.
Skinner made farming his life work. He took a
lively' interest in politics, thougli not for selfish
ends; adhering to the doctrines of the old Wliig
liaity until the rise of the Republican iiarty, when
lie joined its ranks. In 1850, he made a trip to
California, where lie was engaged in mining for
some three years. Returning once more to Iowa,
he resumed bis former calling, which continued to
be his occupation until laying aside the duties of
life, he was called to his final home. He died on
the 24th of February, 1890, in the faith of the
Methadist Episcopal Church, of which he had been
a member for forty-seven years. His wife and
seven children survive him, while five of the fam-
ily have passed on before.

Oar subject was the foarth in order of birth.
On the farm he learned the useful lessons of indus-
try and energy and in the public schools and Mc-
Arthurs Academy, of Birmingham, lie acquired a
good English education. Although seventeen
years of age, in June 1863, be enlisted in Company
C'., of the Eighth Iowa Cavalry, and from Daven-
port went to Nashville, Tenn., and then on the
Atlanta Campaign, participating in nearly all the
engagements from Chattanooga to Atlanta. He
was in the famous Kilpatriek raid, where a good
part of his regiment was captured though he was
more fortunate. Having returned to iNashville,
reorganized and received fresh horses, the com-
mand marched to the Tenneisee River to harass
Gen. Hood in his movements. Having taken part
in the battle of Spring Hill and Franklin, they
went into Kentucky and were remounted, after
wliich, returning, they participated in the battle of
Nashville, driving Hood beyond the Tennessee
River. In a cavalry charge near Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
Mr. Skinner received an almost fatal wound, a liall
striking him at the lower part of the left ear and

passing through his neck. Falling from his horse
be was left for dead, not however without some
kind-hearted rebel appropriating his hat, coat and
shoes. He was found by a negro and taken to a
bouse near by. When Gen. Forrest and his staff
came up, the surgeon said it was not worth while
to parole him as he would die before morning.
But not so, after remaining there some three weeks,
the rebels took hmi from bis bed and made him
walk thirty-two miles the first day under a
summer's sun. Faint and exhausted, he laid
down on the ground and told his captors that
he would rather die than go farther. He was
then put on a horse and taken to Columbus,
Miss., but four days later was removed lo
Jackson, Miss. One morning a rebel officer
ordered him to be ready to travel by one
o'clock and at that hour he was put into an ambu-
lance to be driven away, whether he was to be made
a victim of retaliation or not was impossible to tell.
After driving nearly all day, be was informed that
he was being taken to Natchez to exchange bim
for a Confederate prisoner they wanted, but as
there was no one there having authority to make
such a change, it only remained to bim to be driven
back again. As soon as it was sufficiently dark be
sprang from the ambulance and took to the woods.
His pursuers were unable to catch him and by one
o'clock that night he was within the Union lines.
He presented himself to Gen. Davidson who gave
bim a pass to Cairo, III., where the Christian Com-
mission furnished bim with clean clothes, an in-
estimable gift. On the first boat be went to Nash-
ville, where he met some of his comrades from
Andersonville prison. Together tliej' joined their
command in Macon, Ga., where be remained un-
til mustered out at the close of the service in
August, 1865.

After receiving his discharge at Clinton, Iowa,
Mr. Skinner returned to Birmingham and once
more resumed peaceful pursuits. For a time
he was employed as clerk by the firm of Moss
& Pitkin, and later was a salesman for the latter
gentleman, Mr. Moss having retired. After clerk-
ing for ten years, he was admitted to partner-
ship with Mr. Pitkin, which connection he has since
continued with the exception of one year. They

540

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBIJl\r.

do an extensive mercantile and banking business
and are ranked among- the enterprising citizens of
llie place.

At Birmingham on the 4lh of November, 18GG,
Mr. .'^kinner was united in marriage with Miss
Alice Gibbs, a native of Tippecanoe County, Ind.,
and unto tliem were born live children, but one
died in infancy. The living are Walter G., Effie M.,
Bert and Nellie. Mrs. Skinner is a'member of tlie
Methodist Episcopal Cluircli. Politicall}-, Mr.
Skinner is a Republican. During the second term
of Gov. Larabee's administration, he was commis-
sioned iJeutenant Colonel on his staff. He is a
member of the G. A. R. Post, of Birmingham, of
which he has served as Quartermaster since its
organization and has also been Treasurer of the
city and school fund for a number of years.

He takes a prominent part in the political affairs
of his county, but without desire on his part of
official recognition ; He is accounted one of the
foremost bnsiness men of Southeastern Iowa, ani'l
the reputation which he has gained as a man of
enterprise and sterlir.g worth is certainly well
merited.

*

-f— -

TEPHEN D. FELLOWS is engaged in
farming and stock-raising on section 36,
Van Buren Township, Van Buren Connty,
where be owns a good farm, comprising
some four hundred and lifty-two acres of land. A
man of practical yet progressive ideas he keeps
abreast of all improvements, and his home with its
surroundings indicates the thrift and enterprise of
its owner. j\Ir. Fellows was born in Luzerne
County, Pa., on the 3d of October, 1833, being the
fourth in a family of nine children whose p.irents
are Asahel and Susannah (Harrison) Fellows. They
were both natives of the Keystone State, and there
on the 7th of May, 1827, their marriage was cele-
brated. Asahel Fellows made farming his life oc-
cupation and followed that pursuit in Pennsylvania
until 1836, when he emigrated to the Territory of
Michigan, but not being satisfied to make a home

in that locality, in November of the same] year he
continued his journey to Van Buren County, Iowa,
and here purchased a claim located on section 31,
Van Buren Township. The following year he
biought his family to the home which he had pre-
pared, and here during the remainder of his life he
continued to reside, ile became an inlluential
citizen of the comniunit}', and at his death, which
occurred March 19, 1869, friends and neighbors
felt that they had suffered a great loss. He also
look an active part in political affairs, voting with
the Democratic party. While a resident of Penn-
sylvania be served in the State Militia for seven
years, and w.as also a regularly enlisted soldier in
the War of 1812. His wife survived him a num-
ber of years, dying on the 30th of November,
1888. Of their family of children, the following
yet survive — Whiting A., who is now married and
resides in Van Buren Township; Mrs. Elvira A.
Hinkley, of Clark County, Mo.; Stephen D., of
this sketch; and William i\I. V. B., who is raccrried
and makes his home in A'an Buren Township.

The paternal grandparents of our subject were
Abiel and Catherine (Mann) Fellows, both natives
of Connecticut and of English descent. The family
dates its residence in America back to Colonial days,
and Abiel Fellows gallantly served his country dur-
ing the ^^'ar for Independence. On the maternal
side our subject is of German and Welsh descent.
His mother's father w.as Stephen Harrison.

In the usual manner of farmer lads, Stephen D.
Feilows spent ths days of his boyhood antl youth.
The educational advantages which he received were
ver3' limited, in fact, bis school life covered a p(!-
riod of several years, though he never attended
but one full term. At the age of nineteen years
he began life for himself, taking charge of his
father's farm, and displaying in its management
abilitj- and business knowledge which would have
done credit to a man farther advanced in years.
From that time without interruption he has devoted
himself to agricultural pursuits. He aided in open-
ing up aufl clearing a farm for his father, after
which he performed the same task for himself, and
he is now the owner of 452 acres of highly im-
proved land whicii yields to him a good income.
He raises good grades of stock, making a siiecialtv

PORTRAIT AND UIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

541

of Sliort-lioni catlhs and has all llie improvements
and conveniences known to the agiicultiiralist of
the nineteenth century.

It was in 1862, in Van Buren County, that Mr.
Fellows led to the marriage alt,ar. Miss Ann Bowen.
a native of Wales, and a daughter of Thomas and
Sarah (Hopkins) Bowen, both of whom were born
in the same countr}'. In 1847, accompanied bj'
their family, they left their native land for America,
crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel. After a
pleasant voyage of forty-five days they dropped
anchor in the harbor of New York, but did not
continue in the metropolis; but made a settlement
in Pennsylvania. Some live years later, in 1852, we
find them in Van Buren County, Iowa, and in 1857
they removed to a farm in Van Buren Township.
Mining was the life occupaticm of Mr. Bowen,
and in 1809 he was called from the toils of life,
dying in Mahaska County, Iowa. Ilis vvife sur-
vived him eight years, and was called to her final
rest in 1877. By the union of Mr. and Mrs. Fel-
lows, eight children have been born, of whom seven
are now living. The eldest, A. G., is married and
resides on the home farm; A. D. is married and
makes his home in Auburn, C'al. He completed
his literary education by graduating from the
Bloomfleld College; S. G. was graduated from the
School of Pharmacy, of Chicago, in which city he
is now carrying on a drug store; Chloe, T. H., S.
L. and Keo are still with their parents.

Among the representative men of the county is
numbered Stephen D. Fellows, who from the days
of, his early boyhood has made his home in this
community. He is acquainted with every phase
of pioneer life, and shared in the hardships and
trials which come to those who make homes on the
frontier. The first day which the family spent in
the county they were surrounded by four hundred
Indians encamped upon their claim, and the red
men were not unfrcquent visitors at their home for
some years afterwards. The greater part of the
land at the time was wild and uncultivated, the
homes vvere mostl}- log cabins, oxen were used in
breaking land, and the condition of affairs at th.^.t
day gave little promise of the present prosperity
and progress of the county, but the work and ef-
forts of the pioneers have wrought a wonderful

transformation, and in all possible ways Mr. Fel-
lows has aided in this beneficial change. The cause
of education has found in him a special friend, and
he did effective service while on the School Board.
He was also a member of the State Militia and
holds a commission as Second Lieutenant. The moral
interests of the community receive his support,
and both he and his wife are members of the Chris-
tian Church, of Pleasant Hill. He takes consider-
able interest in civic societies, is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, the Odd Fellows' lodge, and
the Keosauqua Encampment, belonging to Keo-
sauqua Lodge, No. 10, A. F. & A. M., Moore
Chapter, No. 23, R. A. M.. and Keosauqua
Lodge, No. 3, I. O. O. F. For four consecu-
tive years he was Worthy Master, and also filled
the various offices in the Chapter and Odd Fellows
society, representing the latter in the Grand Lodge.
He is an influential member of the Democratic
party, and in 1849 was honored by the nomination
for Representative, hut his i)arty being in the
minority was, in consequence, not elected. His
public and private life are alike above reproach,
his name is honored thl'oughout the community,
aud as one of the leading citizens of the county lie
deserves representation in this volume. ^

•^^5*" ^'t>'«^**^"'«?5^-<'*^

ALTER ATKINS, a physician and surgeon
of Lebanon, Iowa, commenced the prac-
ice of medicine in that place in 1887. He
has resided in Van Buren County during the
greater part of his life but is a native of Dela-
ware. The famil}' is of French extraction and
was founded in America during the seventeenth
century. Many of its members were seafaring
people and through several generations they con-
tinued their residence in Delaware. The father
of our subject, Henry Atkins, was born in that
State and in his youth learned the carpenter's
trade which he there followed until 18G0, when tie
came to Van Buren County, Iowa, with his family.
He settled iu Miltou, where he engaged in the

542

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

furniture business until liis fleath, whicli occurrert
in April. 1869, at the age of forty -eight years. He
married l\Iary Joseph, who was a native of Dela-
ware and whose father served in the Revolutionary
War. She still survives her husband and makes her
home in Milton. The children born unto this
worthy couple are Walter, whose name heads this
sketch ; James who is married and resides in
Jacl<son Township, Van Buren County ; Ida, wife
of Oliver Burton, of Osceola County. Iowa ; and
Theodosia, wife of George Russell, of Milton.

The birth of our subject occurred in 1853, and
when a lad of seven summers he was brought by
his parents to Iowa. The family located in Milton,
and in its schools he began bis education which he
completed by a full course of study in the Troy
Academy, of Troy, Iowa. His school life being
ended, he entered upon liis liusiness career as a
teacher in Jackson Township, and in connection
with the prosecution of that profession engaged in
(lainting and plastering for some live years. It
was his desire to make the practice of medicine his
life work and by the i)ursuitof those vocations just
mentioned he acquired the funds necessary to fit
him for his chosen work. In 1884, he entered the
Medical Institute, of Keokuk, Iowa, and after two
years of thorough study was graduated in the class
of 1886. He then opened an office in the vicinity
of his old home. It is said that one cannot make
a success of such a business in the community
where they have been reared, but if this rule holds
good in most cases Dr. Atkins is an exception to
it. By close application to business as a supple-
ment to his skill and ability, he has won a large
and lucrative practice which is increasing from
year to year. The past year, 1889, netted him
83,500.

An important event in the life of Dr. Atkins
occurred in Davis County, Iowa, in 1877, when he
was joined in wedlock with Miss Catharine Oliver,
daughter of James and Mercy (Noel) Oliver, who
were natives of Ohio and emigrated to Davis
County, Iowa, in 1863, whore they now reside. To
this union have been born three sons — Perry, now
a lad of twelve years ; Clarence, ten years of age ;
and Clyde who is now in his seventh year. The
Doctor and his wife are well known throughout

the community where they make their home and
rank high in the social world. He is a worthy and
enterprising citizen and one who manifests a com-
mendable interest in everything pertaining to the
welfare of town and county. He votes with the
Democratic party and socially Is a member of Lone
Star Lodge, No. 155, 1. O. 0. F.

HARLES E. MOSHER, the owner of seven
hundred and sixty acres of land in Van
Buren County, his home being situated on
section 12, Jackson Township, has resided in this
community since 1854. In September of the previ-
ous year he came West and made purchase of three
hundred and twenty acres of land in this county, to
the cultivation and Improvement of which he
has since devoted his energies with excellent
success.

Mr. Mosher was born on the 2yth of August,
1820, in Vermont, of which State his parents, Alan-
son and Eunice (Emerson) Mosher, weie also
natives. His maternal grandfather was one of the
leading citizens of Windsor County, Vt. ; in fact,
he had a State wide reputation, especially^ in the
Congregational Church, of which he was a promi-
nent and active member. He was a contractor and
builder by trade, and in connection with that
carried on farming and operated a saw and grist
mill. His business was an extensive one and he
became a wealthy citizen. The father of our sub-
ject spent his entire life in the Green Mountain
State, his death occurring in 1825. His wife
survived him many years, dying at the age of
seventy-five years. They were parents of four
children, the youngest of whom died in infancy.
Our subject is the only one of the family now liv-
ing; George C. died in Vermont some years ago;
and Francis T. died on the 2nd of September, 1890,
of heart disease, in Rochester, Vt. He was then
seventy-two years of age and was one of the most
prominent and leading citizens of that community.
His popularity was due to his upright life which

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

543

won him the respect of all with whom he caine in
contact. He filled various offices of trust in the
county and his public and private career were alike
above reproach. He became a well-to-do citizen,
which leaves his family in comfortable circum-
stances. A wife, four children and his brother
Charles were left to mourn the loss of one who had
never forfeited a claim to their affection, but had
bound himself to them by closer tics of love as the
years rolled along. His memory will ever be
olierisiied by the brother left behind, until he too
shall have crossed the dark river.

Mr. Mosher spent tiie days of his boyhood and
j-outh in his native county, whence he came
directly to Van Buren County, Iowa. Having
previously attained to mature years, he chose as a
helpmate on life's journey Miss Caroline T. Whit-
ing, their union being celebrated in July, 1850.
The lady was boru November 16, 1832, and was a
daughter of Stephen A. and Rebecca (Morris)
Whiting. .Seven children were born unto them,
four sons and three daughters, namely: Najjoleon,
Charles, George, Frank, Eunice, wife of George W.
Gillson ; Rebecca and Carrie. After a happy wedded
life of thirty-six years Mrs. Mosher passed away in
1886, dying of consum()tion. Mr. Mosher was
married the second lime, to Lutherie Cutler Hervey,
in November, 1887, and in whom he finds a most
agreeable companion and helpmate.

As before stated, on his arrival in this county
Mr. Mosher iiurcliased three hundred and twenty
acres of land in Jackson Township, and the follow-
ing year purchased an adjoining eight}' acre-tract.
To this he has added from time to time as his
financial resources have increased, until he is now
one of the most extensive landowners of the county,
his possessions aggregating seven hundred and sixty
acres, the greater part of which is under a high
state of cultivation and Quel}' improved. In con-
nection with general farming he is also engaged in
stock-raising, which branch of his business has
proved very profitable, he keeping from thirty to
forty head of horses, from fortj' to fifty head of
cattle, and seven hundred head of sheep of the
medium breed. He is a member of the Antl Horse
Thief Association, and in politics is .i Republican
when questions of State or national importance arc

brought up for settlement, but at local elections he
votes for the man who he thinks will best fill the
office. Mr. Mosher is an independent thinker. He
arrives at conclusions unbiased by the judgment of
others, but independently deteimines each question
for himself after careful consideration. To others
he allows the same privilege, and although he may
differ radically on many points, those opposing
him recognize his fair and upright spirit and render
him respect accordingly.

Mr. Mosher, though not a soldier, was one of the
most active supporters of the Union cause. He was
a meinberof a home company known as the "True
Blues," whose object was to guard the interests of
the Union at home. Mr. Mosher was the Captain
of the company.

l^S^'

AMES MORSE, proiiriutor of the Morse
House, of Birmingham, and a son of T'itus
and Bedie (Doolittle) Morse, claims Con-
necticut as the State of his nativity. He
was born in New Haven County, October 15, 1822,
and his training was such as the sons of pioneer
farmers in Iowa received. On reaching his major-
ity he commenced his career as a farmer and on
the 22d of March, 1850, his marriage with Mrs.
Elizabeth J. Robertson was celebrated. The lady
is a daughter of Dr. James A. and Nanc}' (Brook-
hart) Randall. The Randall family was established
in America during Colonial days by ancestors who
emigrated from England. The great-grandfather
of Mrs. Morse settled on Staten Island and her
grandfather served under Gen. Washington in the
War for Independence. He was forced on board
an English man-of-war that he might be compelled
to serve in the British Army, but deserting, he
joined the Colonial troops. He married Margaret
Adams, a cousin of John Adams, our second Presi-
dent, and from Virginia, where their union was
celebrated, they removed to Kentucky. Dr. Ran-
dall was born in an Indian fort in Shell)y County,
Ky., April 26, 1788, and in Bowling Green, Ky.,

544

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

he niarrii-'d Miss Brookliart, the wedding taking
place October 28, 1817. Slie was born October 13,
1792, in Virginia near the Natural Bridge. Her
parents came from (Germany to America with their
respective families in childliood, were married in
Virginia and afterwards emigrated to Kentucky.
The j'ear 1822 witnessed the removal of Dr. Ran-
dall and his family to Clark County, lad., where
for many years they made their home; coming in
1850, to Van Buren County, Iowa, they here spent
the remainder of their lives. He served through-
out the War of 1812, and was a successful physician,
taking rank among the leading practitioners in the
community where he resided. In politics, he was
first a Whig and later a Republican find both he
and his wife accepted the faith of the Methodist
Church, in which he held membership for many
years. The Doctor died in his home in Birmingham
in March, 1858, and on Christmas Da}' following
she too passed away.

In the family of Dr. and Mrs. Randall were ten
children, live sons and live daughters, of whom five
are yet living, namely : Mrs. Morse, the honored
wife of our subject; Mrs. Mary A. Prather, a resi-
dent of Ottumwa; .losephine and Sara J., who are
living in Birmingham, and James J., who makes
liis home in Nebraska.

Mrs. Morse was born in Kentucky, September 1,
1818. By her first husband she became the mother
of four children, all of whom are deceased. One
son, William M., who served in the Thirteenth Iowa
Infantry (hiring the late war. He was fatally
wounded in the charge on Vicksburg and died in
the hospital at JMemphis, Tenn. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Morse have been born four cliildren: Mary J.,
wife of E. A. Kerschener, a resident of A[)panoose
County, Iowa; James Frank, a stock shipper of
Douds Station; and the other two died in childhood.
Tliey also have an adopted daughter, Ella C, who
lias found a home with them since she was four
years of age.

From 1850 until 1852, Mr. Morse was engasred
in merchandising in Birmingham, after which he
farmed for two succeeding years. In 1854 he re-
turned to Birmingham and for the past thirty-two
years has been employed as book-keeper in thf
Birmingham Mills. His long continued service

not only indicates his efficiency from a business
lioint of view, but is an enviable mark of approval
of honesty and faithful service. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Morse are members of the Methodist Churcli,
in v/hich he has been Steward for forty years and
also recording Steward for man}' years. Politically
■ he was a Democrat until the war, since which time
he has been identified with the Republican party,
by which he was elected Justice of the Peace, hold-
ing the office eight jears. For the same length of
time, Mr. Morse has entertained the public at his
excellent hotel, the Morse House, which is the best
in Birmingham and one of the best in tiiis pai't of
the State.

*'~*~W'"

n

SAIAH HARRIS, a leading business man of
Milton and the President of the Milton District
li, Fair, has carried on the grocery business at
this place since 1872, a longer continuous period
than .any other engageil in that line in the city.
The life record of Mr. Harris is as follows: He was
born in Preble County, Ohio, March 29, 1844, and
when a lad of seven j-ears, in 1851, accompanied
his parents to Iowa, where he was reared to man-
hoo:l on a farm and received a common school
education. When only seventeen years of age he
responded to his country's call for troops and on
the 9th of October. 1861, enlisted as a member of
Company D, Third Iowa Cavalry, being mustered
(lut October 9, 1865, after four years of active ser-
vice. During that tim^* he was three times wounded,
first on the 7tli of March, 1862, at Pea Ridge, where
he received a gunsliot wound; again in Benton,
Ark., in November, 1863, he sustained a gun-shot in
the left hand and a third time in the fall of 1864
at the battle of Big Blue. Mr. Harris participated
in the capture of Vicksburg, was in the two battles
of Jackson, Miss., and in the engagement at Pea
Ridge, Guntown, Tupelo, Miss., and Columl)us,
Gn., under Wilson. He was made Orderly to Gen.
A. J. Smith, and was appointed (Quartermaster of
his regiment, about three weeks before the battle

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

r)45

of Tupelo, and later liad charge of about sixty men
guardinir the division supply store.

On his return from tlie war ^Ir. Harris engaijed
in farniini^ in Davis County. Iowa, six miles west
of Milton, where he continued oiierations until
1872, when lie removed to the cil_y and embarked
in the grocery business as before stated. Kigliteen
3ears has he continued in that line of trade and the
large patronage which he has received has made
him one of the substantial citizens of the place.

On the 13th of December, 186G, in Pulaski, Iowa,
Mr. Harris led to the marriage^ altar Miss Leah
Stover, a native of Smithfleld, Ohio, ami a daugh-
ter of Jacob Stover. Two children were born of
their union but both died in infancy. This wortliy
couple are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of West Union, and in the social world are
held in high regard. In politics, Mr. Harris is a
Democrat but Las never sought offlcial distinction.
He was one of the organizers of thelMilton District
Agricultural Society in 1881, held the office of
President for three years and is its hrgest stock-
holder. Ilis enthusiasm and energy in support of
the enterprise has done much to insure its success.
.Socially, he is a Master Mason, holding member-
shi|) in Aurora Lodge, No. 50. A. F. & A. M., of
Milton. Mr. Harris is a man of superior business
and executive ability and is recognized as an en-
terprising, energetic and successful business man,
whose integrity is unquestioned and whose judg-
ment is always respected.

OLOMON H. MYERS, a progressive
farmer and leading stock-raiser of Polk
Townshi[). Jefferson County, residing on
section 14, is a native of Washington
County, Pa., and a son of Stephen and Sarah
(Huffman) Myers. The <la3's of his boyhood and
youth were spent in the county of his nativity
and with the other members of the family he emi-
grated to the West in llie spring of 1855. Making

a location 'n Jefferson County he embarked in
farming which he continued for seven years, when
in the spring of 1862, 'he crossed the plains to
Idaho with an ox-team, arriving at his destination
after four months and eight days of travel. On
reaching Idaho he turned liis attention to mining,
which he followed^for four years, being compara-
tively- successful in that line of work. He then re-
turned to Jefferson Count}' and made purchase of
eighty acres of improved land ahjug the eastern
boundary of Polk Townshi)). That farm continued
to be his home for some twenty years, during which
time many^improveraents were added, while the well
cultivated fields gave evidence of the thrift and
industry of the owner. About 188G, Mr. Myers
exchanged that farm for his present home on sec-
tion 14. embracing a quarter section of land, all
nicely improved, with a fine dwelling, good barns
and outbuildings, well kept fences and everything
necessary to a model farm of the nineteenth cen-
tury. In connection with the cultivation of his
land he also devotes considerable attention to
stock-raising, and being a believer in the improved
breeds of farm stock, is raising thoroughbred Short-
liorn cattle and an excellent grade of horses and
hogs.

The month of March, 1870, witnessed the mar-
riage celebration of Solomon H. Myers and Mrs.
Arena (Ramey) Hinton, daughter of Jacob and
Sarah (Longerhone) Ramey, who are numbered
among the pioneer settlers of Jefferson County.
By this union there is but one child now living,
Hiram R., who is still with his parents, but they
have also reared an adopted daughter, Jessie B.
Hoffman, p. niece of Mrs. Myers, who has been an
inmate of their home from infancy and shared in
the love and care given to their own child. Mr.
Myers is a stalwart supporter of Republican prin-
ciples and is one of the earnest workers of the
county for the success and welfare of his party.
A well balanced mind and an upright life make
him an influential man and in i)olitical affairs and
other interests he is a leader. He has ever taken
an active part in the promotion of any enterprise
for the benefit of town and county, and has done
not a little toward the improvement of the. town-
ship in which he makes his home. His residence

546

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

in the county covers a period of tliiity-five years
and has been an era of prospei-it}' to him. His
wife, an estimable lady, is a member of the Baptist
Church of Abingdon and both are held in high re-
spect by all who know them.

ILLIAM

WOODSIDE, who is num-

ybered among the honored pioneers of
„ „ Jefferson County, is the owner of a fine
farm of two hundred and seventy acres on section
30, Buchanan Townsliip, whore he has lived for
many years. His home is situated on a natural
buikling site, and overlooks the city of Fairfield.
Tliere, for along period, he has watched the growth
ann progress of the county, in whose development
he feels a deep interest, and has seen its progress in
the v.arious lines of industry, educational, moral
and social growth.

Mr. Woodside is a native of Kentucky. His
birth occurred on the 31st of iNIarch, 1823, and he
is a son of John J. and Sarah (Bagl)_y) Woodside,
who were married in Kentucky, but removed to
Tennessee during the infancy of our subJBCt, and
thence emigrated to McDonough County, 111.,
when he was a lad of some six years. In earl}' life
Mr. Woodside learned the blacksmith's trade,
which he made his chief occupation until his re-
moval to Illinois, when he turned his attention to
farming. His death occurred in that State at the
age of sixty-five years, and his wife died iti Ma-
haska County, Iowa, at the advanced .age ofeight}'-
four years. Both were active church workers, and
their consistent Christian lives won for them manv
warm friends. Tlie generosity of Mr. Woodside
led him to go security for friends who neglected
or could not make payment, and he thus suffered
heavy losses. In politics he was a supporter of
Democratic principles.

The subject of this sketch was the eldest son and
fourth child in a family numbering seven sons and
three daughtci-s. all of whom lived to niature years.
He received very limited educational advantages,

hut experience, observation and reading have made
him a well-informed man. When quite young it
was his desire to learn the blacksmith's trade, but
his father did not wish him to follow that occupa-
tion, and he was forced to turn his energies into
some other channel. He celebrated his nineteenth
birthday by his arrival in Jefferson County, and
never yet has he had occasion to regret his deter-
mination to become a citizen of this community.

On the 23d of March, 1843. Mr. Woodside was
united in marriage with Martha A. Warner, who
was born in White County, Tenn., on the 11th of
April, 1824, and is a daughter of Wdliam and Mar-
garet (Howard) Warner, the former of English ex-
traction and the latter of Scotch-Irish descent. Her
parents were natives of A'irginia, but were married
in White County, Tenn,, whither they had removed
with their respective families in childhood. Later
they removed to Montgomery County, Tenn., and
in 183G, in a wagon drawn by oxen, made their
way to Hancock Count}', 111., but after two years
became residents of Iowa. They settled on Cedar
Creek in Henry County, near Warner's Ford, which
was named in honor of Mr. Warner, but sickness
caused them to leave that home, and in the spring
of 1840 we find them in Jefferson County. Mr.
Warner w!is a stone and brick mason by trade,
but entered land and engaged in farming after
his settlement in the Territory of Iowa. Many
hardships and trials incident to pioneer life were'
borne b}' the family, such as living for two
months on potatoes and squashes, and taking their
corn to mill in Hancock County, 111. Mr. Warner
was an inflexible adherent of Democratic princi-
ples, and for m.any years served as Justice of the
Peace. He died in the sixtieth year of his age,
and his wife had passed her sixtieth birthday when,
in Mahaska County, she was called home.

Having married him a wife, Mr. Woodside then
began [ireparation for making a home to which he
might take his bride. Going to the woods, he cut
the logs for a cabin, and splitting them in halves
made a floor. In this rude dwelling they began
their domestic life, but those days were among
their happiest, for children came to bless their
home, and friends, although widel}' scattered, were
truly friends, and the sociability which then ox-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

547

isted stood in pluce of the formality of today.
Tlieir housekeeping outfit cost hut $5, yet mutual
confidence and love were among the furnishings of
their home and made bright the otherwise dark
places in pioneer life. By industry and good man-
agement they have accumulated a handsome prop-
erty. The first purchase of INIr. Woodside con- isted
of but eighty acres in Fairfield Township, but as
before stated he now owns a well-improved farm
of two hundred and sevent3' acres adjoining the
corporation limits of the city of Fairfield.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Woodside have been born
fourteen children, two of whom died in infancy,
and a third at the age of si.xteen years. In order
birth they are as follows: .lolin W., a resident of
Fall River, Kan.; William N.; Robert C, a farmer
of" Buchanan Township, .Icflferson County; Fran-
cis A., who is engaged in farming in Jefferson
County; Sarah E.; Marj' J.; Douglas M., who ope-
rates the home farm; Laura E., Alice J.. Albert, a
painter by trade; and Maggie.

Mr. Woodside has been a life-long Democrat,
and cast his first Presiilential vote for Polk. His
wife is a member of the Free Methodist Church.
Their home is noted for its hospitality, and the
members of the household rank high in the social
world.

.-^.

.V-^Tfe^

■^

,EUBEN ELLMAKER, farmer and stock-
raiser of Des Moines Township, residing on
*i \\\ section 3, located in .Jefferson County on
1 the otu of June, 1838. He was born in
Perry County, Pa., June 3. 1819, and is a son of
Adam and Elizabeth (Ramer) Ellmaker, both of
wlioin were also natives of the Keystone State and
were of Holland descent. The father was born in
Lancaster County, but when about twenty j'ears of
age removed to Perry County, wiiero he continued
to make his home during the remainder of his life.
He died on the 1st of September, 183G, and his
wife died June 23, 1816, when our subject was hut
twenty days old. They were |)arents of threo
children. Enos accompanied our subject to this

county in 1838. but in 1853 removed to Oregon,
where he spent [his last days, dying on the 6th of
May, 1890. The only daughter, Eliza A., also
went to Oregon, where she married and died.

Reuben Ellmaker is the only one of the family
now living. He spent his boyhood days under the
parental roof and in Perry County was reared to
manhood. In 1837, he attained to mature years
and the following June made atrip to what is now
Jefferson County, Iowa, where he purchased a claim
of one hundred and sixty acres, mostly prairie
IiukL In May, 1848, a log cabin was erected
thereon, which is still standing, one of the few
landmarks of pioneer days left to give evidence
of the rapid growth and advancement made by the
county. His farm now comprises two hundred and
twenty acres, one hundred and eighty of which is
under fence and has all the improvements necessary
to a model farm. There may be found a good
dwelling together with substantial outbuildings, a
fair grade of stock and the latest farm machinery,
all of which indicates that the owner is a man of
progressive ideas who keeps abreast with the times.

The 21st of February, 1843, Mr. Ellmaker was
united in marriage with Miss Clarinda C. Mosier,
daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Rigny) Mosier, who
are numbered among the pioneer settlers of this
county of 1842. Her father was born in Pennsyl-
vania, her mother in Virginia, a^d the birth of
Mrs. Ellmaker occurred in Orange County, Ind.,
in January, 1823. Mr. Mosier was not long per-
mitted to enjoy his new home, for in 1844 his death
occurred. His wife survived him until 1860, when
she too passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Ellmaker are
parents of six children, but two died in infancy:
Cyrus is living in Eugene City, Ore.; Solon mar-
ried Miss Harriet Pumphrey, and is living on the
old homestead; Maria L. is the deceased wife of
Charles Stansbury; and Clarinda is the wife of
John L. Gilman, of Des Moines.

Mr. Ellmaker is an active Democrat in politics
and served for a number of years as Justice of the
Peace and in other township offices, proving a ca-
pable and trnsted official. Both he and his wife
are members of the Old Settlers Society and since
its organization, he has never failed to be present
at its meetings. His wife is the oldest lady in

548

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

years of residence, with one exception, now living
in the townsliip. He was present at tlie gatherino;
of tlie Indians wlien the treaty was made in 1842
and also witnessed tlieir removal. They have seen
the development of the county almost from its in-
fancy, have watched with interest the progress here
made and have borne their share in its upbuilding
and advancement. A more extended account of
their pioneer experience would certainly prove of
interest for they bore the hardsliips and trials inci-
dent to pioneer life, lived in a log cabin in true
pioneer style, with Indians for neighbors and with
miles of uncultivated prairie or unbroken timber
between them and the nearest settler.

^~

_g^ » •"*

OHN WILKIN, one of the pioneers of -Jef-
ferson County, residing on section 28,
Buchanan Township, and an enterprising-
farmer, was born on the banks of the river
Thies in Yorkshire, England, on the Duke of
Northumberland's estate. May 7, 1804, and his
parents were Robert and Ann (Moses) Wilkin. In
early life his father learned the drug business and
to operations in that line ever after devoted the
greater part of his attention. His grandfather was
a servant to the Duke of Northumberland, and when
he becartje too old to work longer was provided
with a comfortable home in which he spent his last
days. The mother of our subject was a grand-
daughter of one of the leading merchants of Stock-
ton. His father traveled as collector for a wholesale
drug house for some time and after residing in
London for many years removed to Glasgow, Scot-
land.

Our subject was the fourth child in a family of
five children, numbering two sons and three daugh-
ters. He received a good education and made such
rapid advancement that before he was twelve years
of age he had studied both Latin and Greek. When
a lad of fourteen jears he commenced to learn the
cabinetmaker's trade at which he served until at-
taining his majority. Having worked for some

time in neigliboring towns, he tiien went to Liver-
pool, where he was employed for three years. He
was in that city at the time when the Duke of
Northumberland was discharged from the position
of Lord Lieutenant of England, and liis servants,
among whom were an uncle, an aunt and two cousins
of our subject, ijassed through Liverpool to Lon-
don and Mr. Wilkin rode one of the Duke's horses.
Ill 1835, accompanied by his mother and sister
witli her husband, Robert Stevenson, he sailed for
the United States, and at length arriving safely on
the siiores of the New World made his way to
LUica, N. Y., where he worked for a short time at
his trade but the cold weather came on and healing
such unfavorable reports of the severity of the
winters in tliat region, he determined to go further
south and made a location in Cincinnati, Ohio,
where he lived some six years. Wishing to marr3',
but afraid he could not support a wife, he asked his
employer how long lie could give him work and on
receiving the reply that he could have employ-
ment as long as he wished it. the question was soon
solved and in Cincinnati he led to the marriage
altar Miss Beatrice Nicholson, who was born in
Yorkshire, near Leeds, England. Miss Nicholson
was a dressmaker in the city of London, an J became
acquainted with Mr. Wilkin when she was on a
visit to friends in Essex. She came to America
about a month later than Mr. Wilkin, and lived for
a time at Waterville, N. Y., but at the time of her
marriage was engaged in dressmaking at Cincinnati,
Ohio. Her father was a prominent farmer and
stock-raiser in the old country where he spent his
entire life. His wife however came to America ac-
companied by two sous and two daughters, but a
fifth child continued to reside in the old country.
In the spring of 1839, Mr. AVilkin purchased
three horses and accompanied by two brothers-in-
law started for Central Illinois, but on arriving at
their destination found land so high in that region
that they continued their journey westward to
Jefferson County, Iowa. Here Mr. Wilkin made a
claim in Lockridge Township, and the following
year brought his family to tiie home which he had
prepared. He fixed up his cabin and had but just
moved into it when his wife was called to her final
rest, dying in March, 1841. She left three chiU

THE NEW YORK
'UBLIC library!

ASTOR. LFNOX
TILn N FOU-DA.|r>^„

DR. GEO. S. GUERNSEY.

MRS. DR. GUERNSEY.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

553

dreii, James, wlio died in earl}' life; Jennie, now at
home, and Beatrice who died at the age of forty-
two years. The mother was a member of the Kpis-
copalian Church, to vvliich denomination Mr. Wil-
kin also belonged.

In a financial sense Mr. Wilkin has prospered
since his arrival in .Jefferson County. The un-
broken land he plowed and planted, made improve-
ments and to-day is the owner of a good farm of
ninety-two and one-half acres which yields him a
golden tribute for the care and cultivation which he
bestows upon it. In his political affiliations, he was
for some time a Republican but for the past twenty
years has supported the Demoeratie party. He lield
the office of Township Clerk of Lookridge Town-
8lii|), and is esteemed as an upright and valued cit-
izen and as a worthy progressive farmer who takes
a deep interest in the progress of his county and
who is always willing to aid in its advancement.
More than half a century has passed since he first
located a claim. He lived for seven years under
the territorial government of Iowa and has made
Ills home in tlie State during its entire existence as
such. When he came, Indian wigwams marked the
site of man}' a white man's home of to-day and the
work of civilization seemed scarcely begun, and it
is to the pioneers that the greatest credit is due for
the wonderful progress which has been made by
Iowa and her people.

R. GEORGE S. GUERNSEY, a retired
physician who is extensively engaged in
farming near Lebanon, Iowa, his home
being situated on section 2, Jackson Town-
shi]), has been a resident of Van Buien County
since the 1st of October, 1848. Emigrating west
ward from Rochester, Windsor County, Vt., he here
located and began the practice of medicine, which
he followed until within a few years, but he is now
practically living a retired life, attending onl}' to a
few of his old patrons who refuse, while he has
health, to employ any other physician.

The Doctor was born in Rochester, Vt., Julj' 27,
1822. and is of English descent. His parents were
Ntwson and Ruth (Jefferson) Guernsey, the latter
a relative of President Thomas Jefferson ; and his
grandparents were Eldad W. and Sarah (Perry)
Guernsey. His grandfather was born March 20,
1770, and his wife on the 2i)th of November of the
same year. Tiieir family numbered nine children,
the eldest of whom, Sarah, was born October 1,
1792; Newson. May 7, 1794; Hiram December 11,
1796; Lyman, July 12,1799; Mary, October 1,
1801; Hannah, April 25, 1803; Amanda, Janu-
ary 9, 1805; Triphena, January 4, 1807, and Gard-
ner, August 22, 1810. The father of this family
was a tanner and shoemaker by trade, and in con-
nection with those occupations carried on farming.
His death occurred December 20, 1810, but his wife
survived him thirty years, dying in 1840.

Newson M. Guernsey learned the tannei's and
shoemaker's trade with his father, and continued to
engage in those pursuits as a means of livelihood
until his emigration to Van Buren County, Iowa, in
1857. He spent his last days in Bloomfield, where
his death occurred April 21, 1879. His wife had
passed away some ten years previous. Their mar-
riage was celebrated October 15, 1820, .and unto
them were born ten children, six of whom are living
.at this writing (in the fall of 1890): Louisa, born
August 10,1821, is deceased; George S. is the second
in order of birth; Joseph, born September 14, 1824,
was drowned in a tub when a year old; Ruth, born
July 23, 1826, is deceased; Elizabeth, born August
14, 1827, is nowthe wife of J. <i. Megrath; Clari.ssa
Jane, born September 31, 1830, is the widow of Orin
Harvey, of Rochester, Vt. ; Samuel, born July 9,
1833, died in infancy ; Julia A., born in Septem-
ber, 1835, is the wife of John Warner,' of Des
Moines Township; Mary A., born November 8,
1838, is the wife of John Evans, of Davis County,
Iowa, and Henry C, born January 14, 1842, is a
resident of Bloomfield, Iowa.

The subject of this sketch was reared to manhood
in his native State and in his youth received ex-
cellent school privileges, completing his literary
education by a year's course in the academy of
Potsdam, N. Y. Having arrived at years of ma-
turity, on the nth of December, 1845, he was

.554

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

joined in wedlock with Miss Olive M. Hazen,
dauglite-r of Elder and Abigail (Thomas) Hazen of
Woodstock, Vt. Her father was of Scotch descent,
and her mother of English extraction. Mrs. Guern-
sey is a descendant of very old New England
families. On her father's side she traces her ances-
try back by direct descent to Edward Hazen, who
came to Massachusetts Bay in 1G39. Her mother's
family trace back to the landing of the Pilgrim
Fathfrs,'jwho came over in the "Mayflower", the
founder of the family in America being one of that
number. Her great-grandfather on the maternal
side was n soldier in the Revolutionary War, and
her grandfather, Elias Thomas, built the first frame
house in Woodstock, Vt. Unto her parents were
born nine children, two of whom died in childhood,
and the following seven grew to maturity : Ursula.
a resident of Woodstock, Vt. ; Daniel T., a farmer
of Michigan; Edwin R., a practicing physician of
Woodstock, Vt.; Jasper, also a resident of Wood-
stock; Laura W., wife of the Rev. Moses Kidder, of
the same city; Jacob T., who is engaged in farm-
ing near Saratoga Springs, N. Y., and Olive M.,
wife of our subject. Eleven children were born
unto the Doctor and his worthy wife, but only five
of the number grew to mature j'ears, four of whom
are still living: Julia, the eldest, is the wife of Har-
vey Dean, of Chicago, 111.; Laura, George W. and
Jasper are at home. Minnie became the wife of
Charles Owen, of Toledo, Ohio, but is now de-
ceased.

The Doctor began the study of medicine in
March, 1842, with J. II. Phelps, M. D., of Roches-
ter, Vt., in whose office he remained two years,
after which he continued his reading under the
direction of Prof. B. R. Palmer, of Woodstock, Vt.,
a professor in the Woodstock Medical College, and
attended three courses of lectures in that institution,
from which he was graiUiated in June,l 845. He first
opened an office and hung out his shingle in Felch-
ville, Vt., but after practicing a year at that place
he returned to his native city, where for two years
lie engaged in the practice of the medical profes-
sion. Believing that the West would furnish su-
perior advantages to young men. he determined to
try his fortune on its broad prairies and started for
the new State of Iowa, making the journey mostly

by steamboat. After four weeks of travel he ar-
rived at his destinatiou, finding on his arrival that
the countr3' was a wild and sparsely settled region,
the home of a few sturdy pioneers, whose dwellings
were log cabins, but who had come with a firm
purpose of making homes for themselves and fam-
ilies in the West. In 184;t the Doctor purchased
twenty acres of land, which formed the nucleus
around which Ins other possessions have gathered.
Meanwhile he engaged in the practice of medicine
and steadily built up a good trade. In the fall of
1858, he went to Keosaiiqua and purchased an in-
terest in a drugstore, which he carried on until
1866, when he sold out. Six years previous to this
time he had bought a sixty-acr(! tract of land, that
upon which the old homestead now stands. On
disposing of the drug business he made another
purchase of one hundred and twenty acres and
other purchases have increased his landed posses-
sions until he is now the owner of four hundred
and ten acres. In 1868 the Doctor erected his com-
modious residence, one of the best in the township.
Three years later he went to Council Bluffs, where
he purchased a drug-store and fine residence, moving
his family thereto, but after a year he sold his store
and devoted himself exclusivcl3' to the practice of
medicine. His residence in tliat city covered a period
of six years, and on leaving Council Bluffs in 1878
he went to San Francisco, Cal.,as one of the incor-
porators and stockholders of the Continental Oil
and Transportation Company. He was made Presi-
dent of that organization and for some time served
as manager in San Francisco, but after two years
he returned to Council Bluffs, where a succeeding
twelvemonths was passed. About 1881 he returned
to his farm where he has since resided.

The Doctor and his wife have an elegant home
in Jackson Township, which presents rather the
appearance of a city mansion than a country dwell-
ing. It is commodious, nicely arranged, substan-
tially built, but above all tastefulljf and comfortably
furnished. Everything which goes to make life
worth the living is there found, and in the enjoy-
ment of Ihe fruits of former toil the Doctor is now
spending his days. Large and beautiful trees of his
own planting throw their delightful shade across
the lawn. The outbuildings are also in keeping

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

with the residence. Boside the fine, large barn
there is a harness and buggy house, granaries and
sufh other buildings as are necessary for the care
of the stock and grain raised upon this houjestead.
Through his practice and other business interests
the Doctor lias acquired his handsome possessions
which stanci as monuments to his thrift and enter-
prise. Himself and family are members of the
Presbyterian Church of Lebanon, and he holds
membersiiip in Council Bluffs Lodge, A. F. & A. M.
His political views are in harmony with the prin-
ciples of the Democratic I)art3' and lie has served as
Supervisor of his county, and for three years was
President of the Agricultural Society. The Doc-
tor is VLrj' popular throughout the county, is an
acknowledged leader among his neighbors, and in
public assemblies is almost invariably called upon
to act as chairman.

<S\ /^AVIKR NADY, one of the leading import-
^(K ers and raisers of Percheron horses, owns a
^^1^, fine stpek farm situated on section 4, Cedar
Township. Jefferson County. In the business in
which he is engaged he has gained a wide reputa-
tion and deserves no little credit for his efforts to
advance the grade of horses in the county. His
life record is as follows: On the 1st da}- of April
1830, in Belfort, France, he was born unto Alex
and Teressa (Pininger) Nady, who spent their en-
tire lives in the old country. Ilis father, a farmer
by occupation, died when our subject was about
eighteen months old. As the faniil)' was in com-
fortable circumstances the children were liberally
educated and Xavier had the advantages of a nor-
mal course. He worked at home until twentv-one
years of age and being the eldest of the family
and consequently their support, was exemjjt from
military service.

On the 25th of January, 1855, Mr. Nady was
united in marriage with Miss Julia Demenn who
was born in the same neighborhood as her husband,
on the iSth of June. 1828. With her parents,

Peter and Anna (Prevost) Demenn and a brother
she came to America. The emigration of Mr.
Nady to this country occurred in 1848, in which
year he sailed from Havre to New Orleans, reach-
ing the latter city on the 16th of March, after
fifty-four days spent on the water. He continued
his travels until reaching Fairfield, where he began
preparations towards securing a home. He had to
'■grub" up the roots before he could plow and plant
and says had he known such work awaited him he
woidd never have crossed the water. Soon after-
ward he wont to St. Louis, where he obtained em-
ployment in a lumber \'ard. He arfso met a cousin
in that city and the da3's passed more ])leasantly
than when working at uncongenial labors among
strangers in Iowa. Later he went down the Mis-
sissippi River to Baton Rouge but not finiling em-
ployment as he had anticipated, walked twenty-two
miles to Plaquemine, arriving at that place with
fifty cents in his pocket. He then worked on a
plantation and afterward built and operated a sugar
mill but later had the misfortune to have his foot
crushed by a f.alling timber which disabled him for
any emploj^ment for some time. Subsequently he
became overseer on a plantation but when the war
broke out he left the South and returned to his
family, vvho in 18G0, had taken up their residence
in Fairfield. On again reaching Jefferson Countv,
Mr. Nady purchased sixt3'-four acres of land and
began the development of a farm, the boundaries
of which have since been extended until noiv three
hundred and seventy acres pay tribute to his care
and cultivation.

Four children were born unto Mr. and Mrs.
Nadv, the eldest of whom, Adolph, was born in
France, November 19, 1855, and died January 15,
1866; Mary J., born in France, March 16, 1857, is
the wife of Alphonse Poquigiiot, a resident of
Cedar Township; Louis born in France, July 17,
1858, and Xavier, born in Cedar Township, Janu-
ary 9, 1863, are still at home.

All of the members of the family are Catholics,
and in politics, Mr. Nady is a Democrat but not
strongly partisan. He has the distinction of being the
first man in the count}' to import a Percheron horse.
In March, 1885, he imported Prince Victor, one of
the best animals ever brought to this section of the

556

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Stale. In all, he has made six importations, bring-
inw with him thirt3^-seveu horses, the best procur-
able. It will thus be seen that he has done mnoh
to improve his connty in this particular, lie thor-
oughly understands his business, is an excellent
judge of horses and has made his importations a
(laying investment.

yHITING A. FELLOWS. With the his-
tory of Van Burcn County tlie name of
, Fellovvs is inseparably connected, and tiie
work which thej- have done for its upbuilding and
advancement is worthy of honorable mention in
this volume. The family is of English origin, and
was founded in America during Colonial days.
The paternal grandfather of our subject, Abiel
Fellows, was a native of Connecticut, and through-
out the entire Revolutionary War aided in tiie
struggle for independence. At an early day he
emigrated to Pennsylvania, becoming an influential
citizen and prominent politician of that State. He
was honored with a number of important otHces of
trust, and proved himself worthy of tha confidence
reposed in iiim. He married Catherine Mann, who
was also a native of Connecticut, and after manj'
years residence in the Keystone ,State they emi-
grated to Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1835. Both have
long since passed away. The maternal grandpar
ents of our subject were Stephen and Mary (Dod-
son) Harrison, also natives of Connecticut. The
father of Stephen Harrison served in tiie Revolu-
tionary War, and was a descendant of him to whom
Piesident Harrison traces his ancestry. The grand-
parents, who had live<l in Luzerne County, Pa.,
from childhood, were there married and spent the
remainder of their lives upon a farm.

Asahel Fellows, father of our subject, was born
in Luzerne County, and on attaining to mature
years was united in marriage, on the 8tii of Maj',
1827, with Susanna Franklin Harrison. After
some nine years spent in the Keystone State they
removed to Schoolcraft, Mich., and in the spring of

1837 made a settlement in what is now Van
Burcn County, but was then comprised within the
liounds of the Territory of Wisconsin. They set-
tled on a claim on the Des Moines River, and also
purchased land, from which Mr. Fellows developed
a fine fartn, thac in later years paid a golden tribute
to his care and industry. He was one of the
prominent citizens of Iowa in that earlj' day. He
took an active part in forming the State, also as-
sisted in the organization of the county, and by
his support and influence was instrumental in
much of the progress made in those earlier years.
He was an active politician, and a stalwart suppor-
ter of Democratic principles. Socially, lie was a
member of Keosauqua Lodge, No. 3, I. O. O. F.,
and his wife held membership in the Christian
Church of Pleasant Hill. After a long and useful
lite he was called to his final rest on the I'Jth of
March, 1809, and his wife, who was a most estima-
ble lady and a true helpmate to him, passed awaj'
in 1888.

Whiting A. Fallows was a lad of eight summers
when he accompanied his parents on their emigra-
tion to Iowa. In his boyhood he had for his com-
panions the sou.? of the celebrated Indian chief,
Black Hawk, whom he accomiianied on many
a hunting expedition. He became familiar with
their language, and the most friendl3' relations
existed between the lads. His educational advan-
tages were necessarily limited, as the opportunities
which a new settlement affords in that line do not
compare favorablj- with those of older communi-
ties. He spent much of his time in aiding his
father in the development of the home farm, and
when twenty-one years of age left the parental roof
to begin life for himself. In that year, 1849, he en-
gaged in cutting wood along the Mississippi River.
In 1852, attracted by the discoveries of gold in
California, he crossed the plains to the Pacific
Slope, where he engaged in mining with reasonable
success for some six 3'ears. Desiring once more
to be among his family and friends, in 1858 he re-
turned to Keosauqua by way of the Isthmus of
Panama and New York City and settled upon the
farm which is still his home.

Mr. Fellows was joined in wedlock with Miss
Susan H. Dodson, one of the fair daughters of Van

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

00/

Buien County, on the 12th of March, 1SG2. Thfii-
union, however, was eeleoratert in Sonierville,
Somerset County, N. J. The hidy is a daughter of
Styles Richard and Caroline Matilda (Harrison)
Dodson. They were natives of Luzerne County,
Pa., where their marriage was celebrated in 183(J.
The same year the3' emigrated to Michigan, and
the following year came to Van Buren County, lo-
cating in Henry Township, where IMr. Dodson en-
tered land and improved a farm. His death
occurred in 1845, leaving to his widow the care of
four young children. To provide for their sup-
port she opened her home as a school, and engaged
in teaching for several years, when slie returned to
Luzerne Count}', Pa., to make her home with her
father. The children of the family were: Melvina
Augusta, who vi'as born in the Territory of Wis-
consin, now Henry County, Iowa, and died in
Pennsylvania, in 1862; Mrs. Mary E. Bateman, of
Philadelphia; Susan, wife of our subject; and
Caroline Matilda, who was graduated from the
Women's Medical College, of Philadelphia, and is
now engaged in practice in that city, and is also
President of the National Woman's Health Asso-
ciation of America.

Mr. and Mrs. Fellows began their domestic life
upon a farm which is still their home — a highly-
improved quarter-section of land. The fields are
well tilled, good buildings have been erected; and
a glance at the home shows that the work of farm-
ing is carried on in a systematic and methodical
manner. But one child has come to bless the
union — Harry D., who is still with his parents.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Mr. Fel-
lows supports the Democratic party, but has never
been a politician in the sense of office-seeking. He
served in the State Militia as First Lieutenant, and
has been a member of the School Board. No en-
terprise calculated to upbuild the community fails
to receive his hearty support and co-operation, but
as a valued citizen, he lends a helping hand to all
worthy undertakings.

Mr. Fellows was one of the leaders in organizing
the Grange in Van Buren County, was a firm be-
liever and supporter of the principles of the same,
and was also an ardent supporter of the Farmers'
Alliance; is at the present time actively engaged

in organizing a Farmers' Mutual Insurance Com-
pany, is one of its officers, and is a firm Ijeliever in
co-operation among all chasses. Pie is a member of
the Indepen lent Order of Odd Fellows, and a
firm believer in the principles of Friendship, Love
and Truth.

-^^-

^^ HARLES LLOYD MOSS, proprietor of the
||( _ Birmingham saw and grist mill, is a busi-
^^^ ness man of many j'ears experience who by
industry, enterprise and perseverance has made his
way in the world and .acquired a reputation for hon-
esty and fair dealing. He was born in Cheshire,
New Haven County, Conn., May 7, 1831, and is a
son of Titus and Bedie (Doolittle) Moss. The fam-
ily is of Scottish origin, and was established in New
Haven County, Conn., prior to the Revolutionar}'
War, by ancestry-from Scotland. The family name is
spelled in no less than four ways. Moss, Moose,
Mors and Morse. The latter seems to be the spell-
ing usually adopted. The grandfather, Joel Morse,
was a lumberman and a woolen manufacturer of
Cheshire, at which place Titus Morse was born in
1799. He was reared in his father's factory and on
reaching manhood married Miss Doolittle of Che
shire who belonged to one of the New England
families. About 1827, they removed to Wayne
County, N. Y., where he followed the noble pur-
suit of farming. There his wife died in the prime
of womanhood being about twenty -six years of
age. Afterward, having married Mrs. Almira San-
ford, nee Barker, iMr. JMorse emigrated with his
family to Kalamazoo County, Mich., in 1833, but
after a residence of four years in that locality, they
sought a home in Van Buren County, Iowa, arriv-
ing at their destination on the 8th of May, 1837.
The father purchased a claim of three hundred and
twenty acres lying three-fourths of a mile southwest
of Birmingham, from James G. Richie, and as soon
as the land came into market secured a patent from
the Government. In the earl}' day of their .arrival,
nature wore her most primitive robes, the broad
prairies had not been upturned by the plow, nor had

p58

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the woodman's ax awakened the echoes of the for-
est. The few people of the settlement were very
widely scattered and in true pioneer style the^'
lived. Though not surrounded by the luxuries
which we to-day possess, their lives were fully as
happy and joyous, for a feeling of brotherliness ex-
isted among neighbors which is almost unheard of
to-day and the pleasures were participated in by all
with the heartiest enjo3^ment. Mr. Morse and his
first wife were members of the Episcopal Church,
but after his second marriage he j(jined the Metho-
dist Church, in which Mrs. Almira iMorse held mem-
bership, and in which he became an active worker,
being Class-Leader for many years. He was liberal
to the extent of his means in the support of church
and charitable work and was ever ready to speak a
word of encouragement or extend a helping hnnd
to those less pros|)ered than himself. Politically,
he was a Democrat until tlje rise of the Repulilican
|)arty, to the principles of which he ever afterward
adhered. He died in Birminghaui at the age of
fifty-six years and his wife at the age of sixty-six
years. Two sons, Charles Llo3'd and James, were
cliildren of the fust marriage and by the second
there were born Reuben, who died in 1839,
being the first white person who died in this vicin-
ity; Mary, who became the wife of William T. Win-
ner and died in Fairfield; Martha, wife of William
Thompson who resides in Fairfield.

Until he had attained his majority, C. L. Moss
worked for his p.arents, receiving such educational
advantages as the district schools afforded, but when
he had attained to man's estate he started out in
life for Uinisclf, hiring out to a farmer in the
neighborhood who paid him the munificent sum of
$75 a year in return for his services. By a mar-
riage ceremony solemnized on the 4th of Aprd,
1843, Miss Hannah Barnes became his wife. She
was a native of Ohio, but in childhood came to
Van Buren County with her parents w lio were
among its pioneer settlers.

The3-oung couple began their domestic life upon
a rented farm but after a time Mr. Moss laid aside
agricultural pursuits and engaged in merchandis-
ing in Birmingham, from which business he tuined '
his attention to buying and shipping stock. In
1S50, he drove a team across the plains to Califor-

nia, reachirjg his destination after four months of
travel. For a year and a half he remained on the
Pacific Slope selling miners' supplies at Rough and
Really, Nevada Count}-, Cal. Returning by the
way of the Isthmus of Panama and the Mississipjii
River, he reached Birmingham in 1851. some
$5,000 better oft' than when he started. Soon after
his return, in compiiiy with E Pitkin, and J. T.
Guinn, he built a large flouring' mill at Birming-
ham to be run by the same power as the sawmill
which was already in operation. Things were mov-
ing along nicely and the business prospered until
1854, when the entire; structure was burned to the
ground but the gentlemen of the firm, with char-
acteristic energy, began to rebuild before the smoke
had ceased rising from the ruins. After a time,
Jlr. Moss became sole proprietor of the mill. which
he has owned and operated alone continuously
since. The grinding department and that devo,ted
to the manufacture of lumljer are now in operation
and therein is done an extensive business. This is
recognized as one of the leading industries of Bir-
mingham but other enterprises have also occupied
the attention of -Mi'. Moss. In 1856, he was one
of the firm that erected the Birmingham Woolen
Mill and in 1871, he put in operation a cheese fac-
tory. It will thus be seen that he has taken an ac-
tive part in the building up of the manufacturing
interests of Birmingham. His sawmill never stands
idle, but through that agency he has furnished a
vast amount of timber for the Des Moines Valley,'
for the Rock Island and for the Chicago, Ft. Madi-
son & Des Moines Railroads, whereby employment
is furnished to some thirty-five hands. It is safe
to say that he has given work to more laboring men
than all the rest of the city. He himself has al-
ways been a hard working man, has done an exten-
sive business and has made a prominent place for
himself among the prominent citizens of the com-
munity who have won respect and confidence by
iheir honorable dealings and fair transactions. The
work of the day is not written down at the time
but is recorded in his memory and after the labois
of the day are done he retires to rest and about
two o'clock rises to record the business of the past
day.

Mr. Moss was the first man who shi|)ped hogs

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

559

from west of the Mississippi River. In December,
1856, he shipped from Rome, Iowa, then the ter-
minus of the ChicMgo, Burlington ife (^uiney Rail-
rcid, a lot of fat liogs, intending to take them to
New York if he could not sell them at a i)rofit
this side of that city. He had 1.837 head and the
train w.as run as a special all tlie way to New York
and drawn to Chicago with two locomotives. Ho
unloaded at Chicago but could not sell. After feed-
ing and resting them one day he loaded them and
shipped to Cleveland, t)liio, where he unloailedand
fed and spent another day. From there lie shipped
to Buffalo, N. Y., where he unloaded them and re-
mained a week. Not finding a profitable market he
proceeded to New York. The market rose and he
sold out at a price that netted him upwards of
12,000 clear profit after all expenses were paid. The
event caused quite a stir among the stock dealers
of that city, and at the opening of the Miles House
|a drover's hotel) on 44th Street, which took jilace
while he was in the city, Mr. Moss was invited and
made the principal guest of the occasion and li.ad
to make a speech for them. Horace (ireeley sent
Mr. Robinson, a representative of the Tribune to in-
terview Mr. Moss, and published an account of man
and journey, eulogistic of his pluck and enterprise.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Moss has been blessed
with eight children — Mary, wife of Joel Moss a
resident of Montana; Thomas, a lumberman of
Missouri; Edgar, a stock dealer of Fairfield; Syl-
vester, twin brother of Eilgar, who died at the age
of two years; Abbie, wife of E. .1. Ilonshel, Presi-
dent of Ilolton College, of Chicago; Albert and
Charles, lumber dealers of Missouri ; and Kittle,
wife of J. E. Paxton, of Butte City, Mont. Mr.
and Mrs. Moss have also twelve grandchildren.
This worthy couple, members of the Methodist
Church, are active workers in the Master's vine-
yard and give liberally and cheerfully for the ad-
vancement of any interest whereby the cause of
Christ may be advanced. Politically, he is a Re-
publican, but has never sought for official distinc-
tion, the only office which he has held being that
of Mayor of Birmingham. Though nearly seventy
years of age, Mr. Moss has as stead}' nerves as 5.
man of twenty-five. He has never used tobacco or
strong drinks and has even abstained from tea and

coffee. This, no doubt is, in a great measure, the
reason for his wonderful strength both physical and
mental. He has lived an exemplar)' life and the
youth of to-day might well take his record as a
guide, which will Doint him on, like a beacon star,
to success and honor in the future.

■JOSEPH BEELER, a blacksmith and wagon-
maker, of Lebanon, Van Buren County, is a
native of Iowa. He was born in Lee County.
I May 28, 1847, and is a son of John and
Hannah (Vale) Beeler. I)Oth of whom were natives
of Indiana. His father was born in 1817, and
having attained to mature years, led to the mar-
riage altar, in 18.3!». Miss Vale, who was born in
1818. They removed to Lee County, where Mr.
Beeler died in the prime of life, being but thirty-
four years of age when called to his final rest. His
wife long survived him, dying at the age of sixty-
three j'ears. The}' were parents of four children,
of whom our subject was tiiird in order of birth,
and Jacob and Joseph are the only ones now
living. The former is a resident of Washington
Territory.

Joseph Beeler passed the da)'s of his boylvood
and youth in his native county, where he learned
the trades of blacksmithing and wagon-making.
Going to Garden Grove, Iowa, in 1862, he fol-
lowed his trade at that place, but the Civil War
being then in progress, and feeling it his duty to
aid in the preservation of the Union, he enlisted in
the Third Iowa Cavalry under Capt. J. D. Brown.
The regiment was commanded by Col. Noble, now
Secretary of the Interior under President Harrison.
They participated in a fjw impoi'tant engagements
during that campaign, but in the summer of 1 8G4
were engaged mostly in raids against the troops of
Gen. Forrest. They did guard duty at Memphis
and participated in the battles of Tupelo and Gun-
town. In September of that year they crossed the
river and started on a raid against Gen. Price,
whom they followed through Missouri and Kansas.

560

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

The forces were then scnttererl and the I'hird Iowa
Cavalry went to St. Louis, at which place its mem-
bers boarded a steamer which was blown np by the
bursting of a boiler. 'J'hej' afterwards joined Gen.
Wilson, and with whom they participated in the
raid through Alabama and Georgia, in which took
place tiie battles of Selma, Montgomery, Macon
and Columbus. Their next move was against At-
lanta, Ga., where the3' were mustered out on the
9th of August, 1865. jMr. Beeler was present at
the capture of Jeff. Davis. lie was a faithful
soldier, ever found at his post of duty, and at the
close of the war was honorabh^ discharged.

When hostilities had ceased and the troops were
once more free to return to their homes, Mr.
Beeler resumed the trade of blacksmilhing and
wagon-making in Garden Grove, Iowa, where he
remained until 1875. when he came to Lebanon
and purchased his present shop. He is dfiing a
general line of blacksmithing and general jobbing
business together with wooden work, and als(;
manufactures wagt)ns and buggies. His business
now yields him an annual income of ^1.200. He
is an expert workman in luitli branches of his
trade, and by fair and honest dealing he has se-
cured the confidence of those who give him their
patronage.

The accomplished wife of Mr. Beeler, was in her
niaidenliood, Jliss Gracie Warner. She was born
in October. 18(io. and is a memlier of the Presby-
terian Church. Mr. Beeler is a Republican in
politics. The3- have but one child, a little son,
Stanley.

'RCHIBALD Mcdonald, of the firm of
^/Jll McDonald & :Meek, was born in Ft. Madi-
son, on the 1st of December, 1844, and
when a l)abe of three years was brought
by his parents to Van Buren County, where he has
since made his home. In his youth he was liber-
ally educated, and throughout his life has mani-
fested an interest in the cause of education, and
done not a little for the schools of this community.

His primary training was supplemented by a course
in Howe's Academy, of IMt. Pleasant, and for a
time he further continued his studies in Oskaloosa
College. When his school life was ended he took
up the profession of teaching as his life work. P^or
tliree terms he taught in the district scliool, and
then accepted a call as teacher in tlie public schools
of Bonaparte, where he remained two years. He
was then employed three years at Vernon, after
which, about the year 1867, he took a trip to Cali-
fornia, where he followed his profession during the
winter at Salmon Falls. After a year siient on the
Pacific Slope, he returned to his home in Van Buren
C'ount\-, and again look rliarge of the Bonaparte
schools. His efforts as a teacher have been at-
tended with marked success, he having given
entire satisfaction wherever employed. In 1874
he was elected County Superintendent of Schools,
of Van Buren County, and would have again been
nominated had he not refused to accept a renonii-
nation. His otiScial term having ex|)ired, in 1878
he went to Colorado, where he spent two seasons,
also engaged in teaching. On his return to Bona-
jiarle, Mr. McDonald was employed as a salesman
until 1881, when he purchased the interest of Mr.
Johnson in the mercaniile business, the firm name
being changed from Christie ife Johnson to Christie
& McDonald. They carried on business together
for some time, the connection being dissolved only
at the death of Mr. Christie, when Robert E. Meek
succeeded to the business as a partner of our sub-
ject. They now carry on operations under the firm
name of McDonald & Meek, and theirs is one of
the leading business industries of Bonaparte. -

Mrs. McDonald was. prior to her marriage. Miss
Mary L. Rehkopf. This lady was born in Bentons-
port, Iowa, but their marriage was celebrated in
Wisconsin. One daughter was born of their union — *
Mary M. After eighteen months of happy wedded
life, the young wife and mother was called to her
final rest. For his present wife Mr. McDonald
chose Miss Cora L. Brown, daughter of N. G. and
Let itia Brown, of Bentonsport. Two children have
been horn unto them, a son and daughter — Brown
Archibald and Gertrude C.

Mr. McDonald taKCS consideiable interest in civic
societies, and is a prominent Mason, belonging to

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

561

Bonaparte Lodge, No. 73, A. F. & A. M.; La Fay-
ettp Chapter, No. Gl, R. A. M., and Commaiidery
No. 28, K. T. He was M.aster of the lodge and
Treasurer and Secretary of the chapter, and repre-
sented the hjcal organizatit>n in tlie Grand Lodge.
The business abilities of Mr. ^McDonald are such as
to viin« liiin success, and lie is now numbered
among the substaulial citizens of the community.

EVI ANDERSON owns and operates two
hundred and seventeen acres of land on
^ section 34. Lick Creek Township, Van
Buren County, where has been his home for many
years. The Anderson family was establislied in
America by Stoddard M. Anderson, the grandfather
of our subject, who left Ireland, the land of his na-
tivity, in the days of his young manhood and
crossed the Atlantic to America. He settled in
Pennsylvania, and there married Ellen Johnson.
When the Revolutionary AVar broke out he was
among the first to take up arms against the mother
country, and fought at the famous battle of Bunker
Hill. His wife's relatives were also in the same
struggle. Mr. Anderson was a mecli.anic by trade,
and spent the greater part of his active life in the
Keystone State. In 1831 he removed to Ohio,
where his death occurred in 1862. His wife sur-
vived him and died near Birmingham, Iowa.

John Anderson, the father of our subject, was
born in Somerset County, Pa., February 15, 1819,
but was reared to manhood on his father's farm in
Ohio. In Holmes County, that State, on the 27th of
F"ebruary, 1841. lie wedded Elizabeth Harbaugh, a
native of Ohio, after which he began life in earnest,
continuing his farming operations in the Buckeye
State until 1846, when, accompanied by his family,
he emigrated to the new State of Iowa, locating
near Birmingham, Van Buren County. He at first
rented land, but as his financial resources increased
purchased a farm. The prairie was then all open,
and one could ride miles without coming across a

fence or settlement to impede his progress. Mr.
Anderson continued to reside in Van Buren
County until 18,s0, wlien lie sold out and removed
to Kansas, but the 3-ear 188i) witnessed his return,
and he is now living in Lick Creek Township, a
respected citizen of that comnuuiity. His wife
died on the 17th of Februar3', 1873, and her death
was the occasion of sincere grief on the part of
many friends. Their children were as follows:
Levi, of this sketch; Benjamin, who enlisted in the
Thirtieth Iowa Infantry during the late war, and
died in the service; Josiah, of Birmingham; Marj'
E., wife of G. W. Bonnette, of Union Township,
Van Buren County; Charles F. living in Kansas;
Elizabeth, wife of George Deal, of Birmingham;
James, of Kansas; Samantha, wife of Israel Bon-
nette, of Union Township; and Annie, wife of
Melvin Nelson, who resides near Birmingham.

Our subject has passed almost his entire life in
Van Buren Count}-. Although only four years of
age at the time he yet retains a recollection of the
journey to Iowa, which was made by team across
the country. His childhood da.j's were S[)ent in the
usual manner of farmer lads, and until twenty
years of age he remained under the parental roof tiut
at that time he bade good-b^'e to home and friends
to enter the service of his country. His educa-
tional advantages had lieen limited, and were some-
what restricted by his enlistment, but with the
blood of Revolutionary heroes flowing in his veifls,
he could not but respond to his patriotic impulses,
and on the 15th of August, 1862, became a member
of Company D, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry. The first
engagement in which he participated was an attack
on Vicksburg, which was followed by the battle of
Arkansas Post and Jackson, Miss. The<i came the
long and trying siege of Vicksburg, which lasted
two nights, and during which Mr. Anderson's regi-
ment lost heavily. Later occurred the charge on
Ft. Gibson, which was followed by the battle of
Cherokee Station, where the Colonel of the iegi-
ment and the Captain of Company D. were killed,
together with many men. Mr. Anderson then took
part in the " Battle Above the Clouds," with
Hooker, followed by the engagements at Missionary
Ridge and Ringgold. Under Gen. Sherman he
fought at Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Chat-

562

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

tahoocliie River, and pa' ticipatecl in the siege and
capture of Atlanta, where he was taken sick and
sent back to tl.e hospital. He was discharged June
17, 18fi5. after luaving served three 3'ears, in which
he participated in some twenty batlJes. He faith-
fully performed his duty tiiroughout the entire
service, but came out of the army with impaired
lieallh, and has never regained the strenglli of
former years.

The first land which Mr. Anderson owned was a
one hundred and twenty-acre tract given him by his
father. This he began to operate in 1866, and the
same year, on the 15th of March, lie married Miss
ISIargaret Jane Wharton, a native of Ohio. They
have become parents of seven children: Flora, born
March 1, 1867, died at the age of nineteen; p]lla,
born November 13, 18G9; Frank, March 12, 1871;
Zachariah, October 2, 1874; Lewis. June 7, 1876;
Roy. November 6, 1880; and Lola. March 15,
1883.

Mr. Anderson's farm of one hundred and twenty
acres he has increased to a two hundred and seven-
teen-acre tract, and the greater part of the improve-
ments which we find thereon stand as monuments
of his own thrift and industry. He is a Republican
in politics, and cast his first Presidential vote for
Lincoln. Like a true American citizen he feels an
interest in political affairs, has frequently attended
the conventions of his party and labors for its suc-
cess, but has never sought or desired public prefer-
ment for himself.

^-^^^^^^^55:5^^-*=-^

OHN BRYCE ^PEES, M. D., retired physi-
cian of Birmingham, was born in Bracken
County, Ky., October 16, 1814, and is the
only survivor in a family of seven children,
six sons and one daughter, of whom he was the
eldest. The parents were Christian and Mar}^
(Young) Spees, and the family is of German and
English extraction. The pateruiil grandfather of
our subject, a native of Germany, crossed the
Atlantic and located in Penns3'lvania, where ho met

m

and married a lady of German descent. Their son
Christian was born in tiie Keystone State in 1788,
and when a lad of nine summers accompanied his
parents cm their emigration to Kentuck}-, which
State was then in sucli a wild anil unsettled con<iition
that they had to live in forts to protect themselves
against the Lidians. On reaching man's estate.
Christian Spees mnrried Miss YQung who was born
about 1795 in Pennsylvania. Her ancestors were
of English birth and were among the early settlers
of Virginia during Colonial d.ays. In the Slate
where their marriage was celebrated Mr. and iSIrs.
Spees continued to make their home until tlieir
lives on earth were ended and they were called to
the rest prepared for tlic rigliteous. Mr. Specs
made farming the means of maintenance for his
familj', but as a labor of love performed much ser-
vice as a local minister in the Methodist Church.
He was ably seconded in his noble efforts by his
wife and the influence which they exerted for good
was certainly not without its results. They died
in 1852, within a day of each other, of cholera.

The early history of Dr. Spees is a record of
struggles to overcome the disadvantages which
surrounded him in his youth. He had almost no
educational opportunities, yet he was of a studious
nature and determined will and by private study
he became well informed, fitting himself for the
profession of teaching, which he followed several
years. Every moment which he could find from
his school duties he devoted to reading medicine
and under the direction of his cousin. Dr. S. J.
Spees, and his brother, Dr. T. M. Spees, of Hills-
boro, Ohio, he continued his studies. In 1843 and
1844, he attended a course of lectures in the Ohio
Medical College of Cincinnati. His first visit to
the Territory of Iowa occurred in 1843, when with
the desire to better his financial condition he made
a plaim near Ottumwa upon which he built two
cabins. He then returned and took the course of
lectures before mentioned but during his absence
his claim was jumped and on his return, finding
that be could do nothing to regain possession of
his property, he started once more for Ohio, but
fate had other things in store for him and the West
was yet to be his home. He believed that the
village of Birmingham offered fair opportunities

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

563

for one of liis profession and at that place openeil
an office lint at tlie end of the fu-st year he found
himself §50 in debt for his board and because he
Could n(,t pay, his landlord drove him off. How-
ever he had not the money with which to go else-
where and it was necessarv that he remain where
he was. Perseverance, energy and ability at length
won him a patronage and for fifteen years he
practiced veij successfully in this community.
Throughout the country round about, calls were
'made for Dr. Specs and often he would ride as
much as fifteen or twenty miles. He not only
manifested an interest in his profession as the
means whereby he might gain a livelihood, but his
sympathy for his patients and genial and pleasant
words proved an excellent tonit in the sick room
and made him many warm friends. As his financial
resources increased he made judicious investments
in land and he is now the owner of one thousand,
six hundred and forty-flve acres, much of which
3ields to him a golden tribute. He h.as now
liractically retired from the iiractice of his pr<_>fes-
sion but still |)rescribes for a few old friends who
are not willing to change their well known family
physician for a stranger.

Near Birmingham, on the 9th of Aiirll, 1846,
Dr. Specs and Miss Susanna Endersby were united
in marriage. The lady was born InGilden Morden.
Cambridgeshire, England, December 17, 1824, and
when seventeen years of age accompanied her fiUher
to this country, locating in Hillsboro, Henry
County. He died in Lee County at the age of
seventy five years. The Doctor and his wife began
their domestic life in a portion of the house which
is still their home and seven children came to bless
their union — Cephus, a resident farmer of Van
Buren County; Thomas L. and Linnaeus R. vvho
died in childhood; John C, a farmer of Lewis
County, Mo. ; Mary M., wife of David Miller, a
resident of Van Buren County; Florence E., wife
of William Specs who Is also living in this county,
as does Helen L and her husband, George Manning.

Jjr. Specs is known throughout the greater part
of Iowa and is one of the honored and prominent
pioneers. In many ways he has been identified
with the upbuilding and advancement of town,
county and State. He helped to secure the corpora

tlon for Birmingham and served as Mayor of the
cit}-. He came to this place when four families
constituted its population. He was the first to
build aw.ay from the square and thus]give a new
direction to the town.

In past years Dr. Specs has given employment to
a great many men, and always [laid them promptly.
Five different men who were his tenants, made
sufficient money while in [wssession of his property
to enable them each to buy homes of their own.
He has acted generously with his patients, never
having sued any of them^for pay for his services and
cheerfully- given his attendance to those unable to
pay.

With the State history he is also connected. As
a candidate of the Whig party, he was elected in
1850 to the State Senate from this district. He
assisted In establishing'^the capital at Des Moines
and in publishing the first statutes of Iowa. (_)n the
dissolution of the Whig party he joined the new
Republican party, but In late years has been inde-
pendent in politics. A faithful friend to many, he
in turn has many friends who respect and love him
for the valuable service he has rendered in time of
affliction.

-^-^

<* IVILLIAM G. BLACK, of Fairfield Town-
\/jxj/l ship, was born In Adams County, Ohio, in
^^ 1830, and Is the son of Moses and Nancy
(Glasgow) Black. In 1841, when a lad of some
eleven summers, he accompanied his parents to
Brown County, 111., and thence came to Jefferson
County, Iowa, in May, 1844. He was reared to
farm life and received his education in the common
schools of the neighboriiood. When he had reached
man's estate he was united in marriage September
11, 1856, with Miss Rachel Stever, daughter of
Adam and Elizabeth Stever. She was born in
♦Huntingdon County, Pa., on the loth of April,
1833, and is the fifth in a family of twelve chil-
dren. Her father was also a native of Huntingdon
County, but her mother was born In Hunterdon

o64

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

County, N. J. They came to Iowa in 1844, and ai-e
therefore numbered among its early settlers.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Black has been born a family
eight children, seven of whom are yet living — Al-
letta, now the widow of W. T. Hunt, resides with
her fatlier; Moses F. is an insurance agent of Fair-
field; Bessie P. and John F. are at home; Samuel
died at the age of a year and a half; Nanie G. is
the wife of F. K. LaughliU, of Locust Grove
Township; Jose])h Guy an<l Rol)ert Roy complete
the family.

For some years Mr. Black lived upon the old
home and in connection with its cultivation
operated a sawmill, but later he removed to near
Liberty ville. In 1861, he came to Fairfield and
for three years was employed as a clerk but in Feb-
ruary, 1865, he resumed milling which he has since
continued to the present time. For the past twelve
years he has also been a bridge builder for Jeffer-
son County. In 1865, he removed to Locust
Grove Township and two years later to his present
place of residence and now owns a farm of about
four hundred acres. He is a Republican in politics
and himself and family are members of the Cura-
berl.'ind Presb3terian Church. By his extensive
purchase of tiiuber, he has done more to improve
and develop the county than an^^ other man in
this region. Mr. Black is widely and favorably
known and is generally esteemed for his thorough
integrity, industrj' and enterprise.

•1 rat- V '..s-

pOHN W. BURNETT, President of the J. W.
Burnett Lumber Company, of Fairfield, and
dealer in hardware, lumber and building
material, established bu.siness in this city in
1874, and is now at the head of one of its leading
enterprises. He came to Fairfield as agent and
resident manager of the E. D. Rand Lumber Com-
pany, of Burlington, here established a yard and
•was associated with that company until 1880. He
embarked in the hardware business soon after his

arrival and from 1880 until January, 1890, con-
tinued operations alone. At the last mentioned
date, he was instrumental in organizing and incor-
porating the existing J. W. Burnett Lumber Com-
pany, which was ineor|)orated with an authorized
capital of 1100,000 and a paid up capital of ^25.-
000. Mr. Burnett was elected President; William
Day, Vice-President; and Frank Zimmerman, Sec-
retary and Treasurer. The extensive hardware
business carried on by Mr. Burnett is his individ-
ual affair. In 1879, he established a branch house
in Elden, Iowa, consisting of a lumber yard and
hardware store which business was included in the
stock of the J. W. Burnett Lumber Company on
the incorporation of that company and is conducted
under the management of Vice-President William
Day. The annual business of the Fairfield house
is 130,000 and upwards, while that of the Filden
branch is 815.000.

As a leading and induential citizen and the head
of one of the important business industries of
Fairfield, we feel that a sketch of the life of Mr.
Burnett will be of interest to our readers. He was
born in the town of Chatham, Morris County, N. J.,
April 28, 1847, and is a son of Andrew J. and
Lydia (Badgelej') Burnett. His parents were na-
ti\es of New Jersey and were descended from old
Colonial families. The paternal great-grandfather
was a patriotic soldier of the War for Indepen-
dence. During his early childhood, John W. Bur-
nett lost his father and vvith his mother removed to
Mansfield, Ohio, in 1855, where he was educated in
the public schools. Thirteen years later, in 1868,
he first set foot upon lovva soil, making a location
at Osceola, where he spent nine months as a clerk,
after which he removed to Cromwell, Union
Count}', there having charge of the E. D. Rand &
Co's lumber business until 1874, when he came to
Fairfield as agent for the same company.

Mr. Burnett was married in Mansfield, Ohio, on
the 3d of May, 1871, the lad}' of his choice being
Miss Rosetla Zimmerman, who was a native of that
city and a daughter of Levi Zimmerman. Six
children have been born of their union, five sons
and a daughter, as follows: Jennie E. James M.,
Hubert H.. Levi Z., John Fied and Carl D. The
last named died in infancy.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

565

Mr. and Mrs. Binnelt are members of the Con-
gregational Church ami in politics he votes with
the Republican party but has had neither time nor
inclinalion to serve in official positions. In addi-
tion to his lumber and liardware business, he has
o'her important business connections. He is a
stockholder in the Fairfield Manufacturing Com-
pany; an equal partner with C. C. Risk in liie
Fairfield Canning Com|)any; and is one of the or-
ganizers and original stockholders of the Iowa
State Savings Bank, of Fairfield. Mr. Burnett has
now been identified with the mercantile and manu-
facturing interests of Jefferson County for sixteen
j-ears and is widely and favorabl}- known as an en-
terprising and successful business man, whose in-
tegrity and promi)tness is always to be relied on.
He is public-s|)irited. taking a warm interest in all
that affects the general prosperity of the people,
and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fellow-
citizens in a marked degree.

•OSEPH GRABER, a farmer of section 23,
Lockridge Township, Jefferson County, was
born in France, on the 8th of May, 1823.
Upon a rented farm his father, John (iraber,
e'ngaged in agricultural pursuits. In the year in
which he attained to man's estate, he united his
destiny with that of Miss Catherine Rotli, and their
marriage was blessed witli seven children, all born
in France, of wliom Joseph was the youngest;
John, Ihe eldest, is now deceased; Peter is living
in Henry County, Iowa; Christ, is also dead ; Cath-
erine is tlie widow of John Roth, of Henry County;
Jacob died in Ohio; Mary is also passed from
among the living. In order to prevent his sons
from being forced into the army, Mr. Graber, in
1830, brought his family to America, and in Wayne
Count3', Ohio, near Wooster, made a settlement.
He there continued to reside some twelve years,
after which he came to Iowa, locating in Lockridge
Townsiiip, wliere he entered some eight hundred
acres of land. His farming operations were quite

successful, and possessing good business ability he
accumulated a competence. In his youth he had
acquired a good education, and was a man who
kept himself well informed on all matters of gen-
eral interest. Public spirited and progressive, he
was ready to aid in the advancement of anj' enter-
prise that would benefit the community, and did
not a little for the jirogress of the immediate com-
munity in which he made his home. He lived
eight years in Iowa and was then called to his final
rest, while his wife survived him until 18G5.

The educational privileges afforded in a new set-
tlement are not very extendeil in character, but
are confined chiefly to the three R's. Such were
tlie scholastic privileges which Joseph Graber re-
ceived, but during his youth he learned useful les-
sons of industry and econoraj' upon the new farm
in Ohio. He aided in clearing the land and trans-
forming it into fertile fields. He was nineteen
years of age when he came to Iowa, and after his
father's death he and his brother Peter managed
the business affairs of the family until 1857, when
he left the parental roof for a home of ids own.
On the 30th of April of that year he was joined in
wedlock with Miss Catherine Egl.y, a native of
Alsace, France. He then ro-turned with his bride to
the old homestead, but at the end of two years
made purchase of two hundred and forty acres of
land, on section 23. Lockridge Townshii), where he
has resided continuously since. Erecting a small
frame house, he removed to his new home and be-
gan clearing the land, which was then covered
with bi'ush and timber. Week by week saw other
acres added to the cleared space, until at length
rich fields yielded him abundant harvests as a re-
ward for his toil and labor. He has now a com-
fortable home, surrounded by good buildings, and
is enabled to enjoy many of the comforts and lux-
uries which go to make life worth living.

Unto^ Mr. and Mrs. Graber have been born
eleven children, nine of whom are yet living : Bar-
bara, their first born, is now the wife of John Lar-
son, of Lockridge Township; Slary is at home;
Catherine is the wife of Josei)h Rich, of Colorado;
Jacob E. aids his father in the cultivation of the
home farm; John W. is yet under the parental
roof ; Lena is the wife of Jacob Rupp, of Colorado;

5t)6

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALHUM.

Margaret died when in her second year; Leah;
Joseijh died at llie age of sixteen raonllis; Samuel
and Emma are the younger filiil<h-en. Mr. Graber
and his wife and cliildren are all faithful members
of the Mennonite Church, as were his parents. He
takes an active interest in the work, and lias con-
tiibutod liberall\' of his means to the cause. He
casts liis ballot with the Democratic party, and is
a valuable citizen and re|ireseulative farmer.

Mrs. Graber, whose maiden name was Catlierino
Egly, was born in Alsace, France, August 17, 1837,
and is a daughter of Jacob and Barbara (Ries)
Eg!}'. Her father was born in Strasburg, and was
reared to the miller's trade. In accordance with
Ihe laws of his native land he served for seven
years in the army. Desiring the freedom of the
New World, and wishing to test the opportunities
which it offered, he crossed the Atlantic iu 1847.
In Canada he made his first settlement, but after
he had engaged in farming for eight years he
sought a home in Iowa, l)uying sixty acres of land
near Glendale, in Lockridge Township. The farm
on which he located continued to be his home until
his death, which occurred in July, 1879. lie was
an invalid, and endured suffering for twenty years
ere death released him. His wife died on the 20th
of August, 18S8. Both were followers of the faith
of the Mennonite Church, and were highly respected
people. Of their family of six children, Mrs.
Gralier is the eldest; Barbara is the wife of Jacob
Christina, of Swedesburg, Iowa; Jacob is living in
Henry County; Mary is the wife of Joe Roth, of
Arkansas; Christian and John both make their
home in Henry County.

-s-^ \ =r*

M

g ATTHEVV Q. CRETCHER, a prominent

farmer and pioneer settler of Van Buren
jP lis County, residing in Milton, was born in
* Champaign County, Ohio, April 20, 1821,

and is a son of Jabez and Nancy (Pollock) C'ret-
cher. His father was born in Delaware in 1791,
and removed with his parents to Kentucky in

childhood, where he was reared to agricultural
pursuits, removing thence to Champaign County,
Ohio, in 1814. The Cretcher family is of English
origin, and was founded in America by three
brothers who emigrated to this country in early
Colonial times. One of these brothers was the
great-grandfather of our subject. His son, M. Q.
Cretcher, was born in Maryland, was an only son,
and at the age of fifteen years enlisted in the War
of the Revolution. He was present at the sur-
render of Lord Cornwallis, and served until the
colonies bad secured tlieir independence. Mr.
Cretcher's mother was born in Delaware, about
1794, and died in Miami Township, Logan County,
Ohio, in 1878.

When a babe of two years our subject was taken
b}' his [larents to Logan County, Ohio, where he
received a common-school education, and was
reared on a farm. He learned the carpenter's and
joiner's trade, and in 1842 came to Van Buren
Count}', Iowa, wiUi his father, looking uji a loca-
tion. Returning to Ohio ihat fall, he spent tbe
winter and spring in his native State, and in July.
1843, returned to Iowa, on foot and alone. For a
few years after coming to this county he worked
at his trade in order to secure mone}' to enter land
and make a home. The \'ear 1846 saw the realiz.a-
tion of his hopes in the former particular. He en-
tered eighty acres of laud lying on sections 1 1 and
14, Des Moines Township, and adjacent to the
southern boundary of the State. From that time
his success seemed assured, and to his possessions
he added from time to time until he is now the
owner of seven hundred and two acres. There are
two hundred and fortj' acres in 'the homestead
farm in Des Moines Township, one hundred and
eighty acres joining it, but lying in Missouri;
another farm of one hundred and sixty-two acres
in Missouri, and eight}- acres in Hancock County,
Iowa.

Mr. Cretcher was married in Scotland County,
Mo., on tlie 31st of January, 1847, to Miss
Lucinda Sayre, daughter of Joseph and Han-
nah Sayre, and a native of Preston County, Va.,
born May 3, 1827. When nine years of age
she went with her parents to Ohio, and in 1841
came with them to Van Buren County. Both aie

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

567

now deceased, the father iiaving departed this life
in Jul}', 1846, at the age of fifty years, while the
mother's death occurred in April, 1S80, at the age
of seventy-four. Both died in Scotland County,
Mo., where their remains were laid to rest. A
family of nine children has been born of the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Creteher, four sons and five
daughters, and the family circle yet remains un
broken. William, the eldest, born December 30.
1847, married Miss Josei-ihine Meredith, and is now
farming in Des Moines Township; Lycui-gus, born
September 7, 1849, wedded P^lla Fix, and is also
farming in Des Moines Township; Klizabeth Ann,
born September 1, 1851, is the wife of Charles
Langford, a resident farmer of the same township;
Daniel, who was born August 26, 1854, carries on
the old homestead ; Lucy Jane, born January 7,
1857, is the wife of John Bell, a farmer of Vernon
Township, Van Buren County; Ida May, wife of
Franklin Case, of Johnson Township, Scotland
County, Mo., was born June 14, 1854; Mary
Frances, born September 17, 1861, is the wife of
J. W. Smith, a "farmer of Des Moines Township;
Lucinda, born July 10, 1865, wedded Henry Davis,
of Woodson County, Kau. ; and Matthew Q., the
youngest, who vvas born June 2, 1873, is pursuing
his studies in the Milton high school.

Mr. Creteher continued his residence upon his
farm in Des Moines Township until October, 1889,
when he teniporaril}' removed to Milton for the
Ijurpose of affording his youngest son better faciii-
lies for education. In politics he was a Free-soil
Democrat until the organization of the Republican
jjarty, wlien he'joined it.s ranks, voting for Fremont
in 1856, and for each successive Re|niblican candi-
date since that time, including Benjamin Harrison,
our present Kxecutivc. In his religious views lie is
liberal, and docs not affiliate with any sect or de-
nomination. He was made a Mason in 1856, being
initiated into the mysteries of that order in Mt.
Sterling Lodge, now Aurora Lodge, No. 50, A. F.
& A. M., and has since maintained his connection
with the fraternity, being now a member of Ap-
pollo Lodge, No. 461, A. F. & A. M., of Cantril.
Throughout his entire life Mr. Creteher has alwa3's
been a hard-working, industrious man, of temperate
habits, and of correct business principles. He is

recognized as a man of superior judgment and
practical sense, unpretending and plain in manner,
and of unquestioned integrity. He has reared a
large family, and has lived to see them become
useful and respected members of societ}' and en-
joying comfortable homes; while lie has, b}' pru-
lient management and patient industry, accumulated
a large and valuable [)roperty.

=s^\ AMUEL THRASH, who is the owner of a
good farm of two hundred and tweuty-
nine acres on section 29, Fairfield Town-
ship, settled in Jefferson Countj', in April,
1839. Few of the settlers of that day are left to
tell the story of life on the frontier, many having
removed to other States while some have gone to
that land whence no traveler returns. Yeiir by
year has brought changes until in the Jefferson
County of to-day one would scarcely recognize the
almost uninhabited prairies of fifty years ago. In
the work of progress and advancement, in the
transforming of the wild lands into rich and fertile
farms, in the promotion of such enterprises as are
calculated to benefit the community, Mr. Thrash
has ever borne his part and will be remembered as
one of the founders of the county long after he
shall have passed awaj-.

In Montgomery County, Va., on the 30th of
January, 1816, he first openeil his e3'es to the light
of da)', his parents being William and Catherine
(Lester) Thrash, both of whom were native Vir-
ginians. The family were among the early settlers
of the old Dominion and was of German origin.
The great-grandfather of our subject returned to
German}- for his inheritance but was lost when
again crossing the Atlantic to Ameri<.'a. On the
maternal side, Mr. Thrash is of English descent.
In 1818 the family removed to Dearborn County,
Ind., and in the common schools of that State,
Samuel received his education. He was reared
to farm life and since attaining to manhood has
made farming his occupation. The year 1836

568

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

witnessed the removal of tlie family to Knox
County, 111., and in the fall of 1837, he accomija-
nieil his father to Henry County, Iowa,where claims
were loeated. Later the family became residents
of Mahaska County, this State, where Mr. Thrash
Sr. departed this life, on the 3d of September)
1853, at^he age of fifty-nine years. His wife died
in Henry County, July 11, 1850, in the fifty-
seventh year of her age.

In the month of February, 1839, history chroni-
cles the advent of Samuel Thrash in Jefferson
County, Iowa, where he made a claim constituting
wiiat is now known as the Zeigler place, in Fairfield
Township. Having thus made some preparation
for a home he returned to Henry County, and on
the 31st of March, 1839, was united in marriage
with Jane Thornton and in April made a perma-
nent location in thiscommunity. Later, selling his
claim, in the fall of 1843 he purchased a farm
which has now for forty-seven years continued to
be his home. Prosperity has attended his efforts,
success has crowned his labors and in addition to
worldly gifts the home was blessed with the pres-
ence of ten children, but only four grew to matuie
years. The mother, whose maiden name, as before
stated, was Jane Thornton, was born in Jackson
County, Tenn., January 31, 1818, and she is a
daughter of Felix and Lecy (Hawley) Thornton,
who were born and reared in North Carolina. In
1838, she accompanied her sister and her husband
to Iowa and remained in Henry County until her
marriage. The children born of this union who
lived to adult age are John F., who wedded Jane
Wilson and is living in Southern Kansas; Cather-
ine, wife of Ilgin Fritz of Kirksville, Adair County,
Mo.; Eliza, wife of Samuel Zeigler of Fairfield; and
S. Douglas, who married Annie McConly, and is
a resident of Louisiana. The eldest of the familj-,
William F., was born January 3, 1840, and died
from a snake bite July 7, 1845; John F. was born
November 11, 1841; Sarah C&therine was born
April 6, 1843; Jackson, born November 13, 184-1,
died August 13, 1848; Harriet, born May 31, 1846,
died August 10, 1848; Eliza was born Februarj- 5,
1848; George, born April 9, 1850, died December
17, 1853; Maria, born April 27, 1852, died Octo-
ber 1, 1856; Martha, born April 13, 1854, died

when only a few hours old; S. Douglas, who com-
pletes the family was born on the 9th of April,
1861.

In political sentiment, Mr. Thrash is a Democrat
and has held a number of township offices. He has
now been a resident of Jefferson County for the
long period of fifty-one jears. On his arrival the
Indians were more numerous than the white settlers
and he and his wife endured many of the priva-
tions incident to frontier life. However, they
overcame all obstacles which thej' encountered and
Mr. Thrash is now a fair representative of the suc-
cessful pioneer. Large hearted and true as steel,
he has won hosts of friends and is held in high re
gard by young and old, rich and poor.

-^j"*-

r,ILLIAM RUSSELL, deceased, is ranked
among the pioneers of Van Buren County,
Iowa. He made a location in Des Moines
Township in 1844, during Teriitorial days, and
subsequently was a resident of Jackson Township.
He was born in New Jersey in 1790, and on attain-
ing to years of maturity was united in marriage in
Kent County, Del., in 1834, with Mrs. Ann Pen-
nington, widow of Benjamin Pennington, and for-
merly a Miss Wilson. She was a native of Del-
aware, and bj' her previous marriage became
the mother of one daughter and two sons — Sarah
Ann, who wedded James Price and died in 1876;
George, who is a Justice of ths Peace and leading
citizen of Rlilton, Iowa, and whose sketch appears
elsewhere in this volume; and Benjamin, who
married Elizabeth Cowger, and is a harness-maker
of Milton.

In 1835 Mr. Russell removed with his family to
Indiana, and nine years later, in 1844, crossed the
Mississippi into the Territory of Iowa. He made a
location in Des Moines Township, Van Buren
County, then a wild and siiarsely settled region.
He embarked in farming, but subsequently removed
to Jackson Townshi)}, where he engaged in agri-

^THE NEW YORK ,
PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR. LENOX
TILDEN FOUNDATfniua

4
*fc

0

D. P. STUBBS.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

o71

cultural pursuits until bis death, which occurred in
1849. He vvas a member of the Methodist Church
and a Democrat in politics. His wife survived
him many years, dying In April, 1879.

., : ;,g^J#i^6

f/^ ON. DANIEL PARHAM STUBBS, who
for many years lias been known as one of
V^' the most successful criminal lawyers in
Iowa, was born in the extreme southern
part of Preble County, Ohio, on the 7th of July,
1829. His parents, William and Delilah (Parham)
Stubbs, were natives of .\()pling County, Ga,, the
father born in 1795, the mother in 1798, and both
were of pure English descent. The grandparents
of our suliject on Ijoth sides were all natives of
Georgia, and his maternal grandfather, who served
in the Revolutionary War, was present at the sur-
render of Corn wallis. In 180.5 the paternal grand-
parents emigrated with their family to the new
State of Oliio, which State was then only three
years old. They belonged to the society of Friends,
or Quakers and were strongl}- opposed to slavery,
which fact led them to seek a home in the first
State which had been created from tiie Northwest
Territory, from vvhicli that institution had been
proliibited.

The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm
in his native State. where he received only tiie edu-
cational advantages of a common district school and
that of a select school, which was conducted under
the auspices of the Society of Friends and which was
situated three miles distant from his home. After
attaining his majority, he attended Union Seminary
in Liberty, Ind.. where William Houghton was
Princi[)al. Having spent five months as a student
in that institution, he engaged in teaching and soon
became one of the principals of the seminary,
where he was but a short time previous a student.
While only a boy on the farm, he conceived the
idea of one day becoming a laywer, and to this end
worked in a sawmill for the munificent salary of
half a dollar per day. in order to procure money

with which to carry out his cherished plan. Thus
he purchased his first law book, a copy of Black-
stone's Commentaries, which lie still has in his
library, and while teaching pursued his law studies
as he found opportunity. In 1854 he was appointed
Deputy Clerk of the court in Union County, Ind.,
under the Hon. Eghill Bnrnside, the father of Gen.
A. E. Bnrnside, and wjio had held that offlce for
twenty-eight consecutive years. While engaged in
the discharge of the duties thus devolving upon
him, he continued his law studies and learned
much of the routine of court business.

Shortly afterward Mr. Stubbs entered upon a
systematic course of law study uiuler the direction
of the Hon. .John Yaryan. About the same time,
in the fall of 1855, he married Miss Carrie Hol-
lingvvorth, a native of Union County, Ind., and a
daughter of Abijah Hollingworth. The following
winter, he entered the law department of Asbury
University, under the tutelage of the Hon. A. C.
Downing, late Supreme .Tudge of Indiana. While
it v.as the rule of the University that a student
should take a two years' course before graduating.
Jlr. Stubbs by hard study and close application ac-
complished the required work in one year and was
graduated with the degree of B. L. in 1856. In
the spring of that \"ear he assumed editorial charge
of the Liberty Herald, of Liberty, Ind., whicli sup-
ported the Republican cause in the first national
campaign of that (lart)'. The same year he formed
a law partnership with the Hon. N. H. Treuseler.

In the early summer of 1857, Mr. Stubbs started
on a prospecting tour with a view of locating in the
West. He traveled through Missouri, Kansas, Ne-
braska and Iowa, and having reached Fairfield, of
the last named State, he decided to stick his stakes
there and make that his future home. That resolu-
tion he has never had reason to regret through a
thirty-three j'ears' residence in the community. On
establishing himself in Fairfield, he formed a law
partnership with the Hon. James F. Wilson, now
United States Senator, with whom he was associ-
ated for five years. Mr. Wilson soon became
prominent in politics and necessarily devoted raueli
time to public matters, v/hile the junior member of
the firm gave his undivided attention to a large and
increasing law practice and built n|) a Inciati ve busi-

572

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ness. He practiced in the federal courts and was ad-
mitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the Unitetl
States in 1867.

The subject of politics had its attractions for
him and we find the city records show that Mr.
Stubbs was elected Mayor of Fairfield in 1859
and re-elected in 1860. In 1863 he was elected
to the State Senate and served four years in that
body, during wliich time he was a member of the
committees on judiciary and federal relations and
was the author of the resolution which passed the
Legislature ratifying the amendment to the consti-
tution of the United Stales which provided for the
final abolition of slavery in this country and which
is as follows:

"Whereas, The Congress of the LTnited States
has proposed to the several States the following
amendment to the federal constitution, viz:
ARTICLE XIII,

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary ser-
vitude, except as punishment for crime, whereof
the piirty shall have been duly convicted, sliall
exist within the United States or any place subject
to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce
this article by appropriate Igislation; therefore.

Be it Resolved:, by the General Assembly of the
State of Iowa that the State of Iowa, by its Legis-
lature, hereby ratifies and assents to said amend-
ment."

During the last session of his service, Mr. Stubbs
was President irro tern of the Senate. He was also the
authoLof the resolution adopted by the Legislature
of Iowa, in the session of 1866, in regard to the
punishment of Jeff Davis. Mr. Stubbs, from the
committee on federal relations, submitted the fol-
lowing majority report:

The Committee on Federal Relations, to whom
was referred House Resolution "to hang Jeff Davis"
have had the same under consideration and having
instructed me to report the same back to the Sen
ate with the recommendation that the following be
substituted therefor:

Whereas, the laws of the United States require
that treason against the United States shall be luin-
ished with death, and

Whereas, the constitution requires tiiat the
President shall take care that tiie laws bo faitlifully
executed, and

Whereas, JeflEerson Davis, a prisoner of war.

held by authority of the Government of the United
States, is suliject to be tried for the crime of trea-
son, therefore,

"Be it Resolved, by the General Assemi)ly of the
State of Iowa that Jefferson Davis is not a proper
subject for executive clemency, and it is the duty
of the President of the United States to cause tliesaid
Davis to be brought to a fair and impartial, but
speedy, trial before the proper tribunal and if found
guilty of the crime of treason that he suffer the
penalty provided by law."

"That the Secretary of State be and is iiereby in-
structed to forward a certified copy of the forego-'
ing resolution to our delegation in Congress with
the request tliat they present the same to the Presi-
dent of the United States."

Mr. Stubbs was reared an Abolitionist and cast
his vote in a Presidential campaign for the first time
in 1852, for John P. Hale and George W. Julien.
He took an active part in the campaign of 1856
and in tliat year voted for Fremont and Dayton,
the first Republican candidates for President and
Vice President. He continued to support the party
until 1872 when, like many of the Old Line Abo-
litionists, he cast his ballot for Horace Greeley for
President, since which time he has never been in
harmony with the Republican party. In the Presi-
dential campaign of 1876 he voted for Peter Cooper
and Samuel F. Cary. The following year he was
nominated unanimously for Governor of Iowa by
the Independent Greent)ack party, but without his
previous knowledge. He accepted the nomination
and made an extended canvass, and to the astonish-
ment of both the old parties he received 35,000
votes. In 1879 he was the candidate of the Green-
back party for Congress, and while he made a spir-
ited canvass liis party strength was not great enough
to insure success. In 1880 he received the entire
vote of his party in the Legislature !'or United
States Senator.

Ever since entering the political field Mr.
Stubbs has been an earnest and influential worker
in support of his part}^ princi|)Ies. As time
passed he graduall)' abandoned tlie line of general
law practice and made criminal and chancer^' cases
a specialty. He won a wide re])utation as a crim-
inal lawyer and for many years was employed
in a large proportion of the greatest criminal cases
tried in Southeastern Iowa. He won special prom-
inence in his defense of the noted desperado. Rand,

rolM'RAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

573

who was tried in Galesbuig, 111., in the winter of
1878. The strongest prejudice of the whole com-
mLinit>' was aroused against both client and attor-
ney, yet in a five hours' speech Mr. Stubbs suc-
ceeded in averting the death penalty from the
prisoner. It is said of our subject that when he is
engaged in the trial of a specially difficult or im-
portant case that he seems to devolop a latent force
that makes him a tower of strength. Every faculty
seems to expand and quicken; argument, logical
and eloquent, greets his hearers. At times, tender '
and pathetic, or again with a fierce energy, he car-
ries conviction to the minds of all. That he has
won success and a brilliant reputation in his pro-
fession is a fact too well known to be questioned.
For several years past, he has only accepted retain-
ers in the more important cases in his favorite line
of practice, and since 1887 he has almost entirelj'
withdrawn from professional work. He is a popu-
lar stump speaker and does good service in every
political campaign.

Mr. and Mrs. Stubbs have four children, two
sons and two daughters: Orsino D.,the eldest, mar-
ried Miss Alice Stubbs, a very distant relative, and
is engaged with his father in the live-stock l)usiness;
Charles E. studied law with his father and was ad
mitted to the bar in 1883, then formed a partner-
ship vvith his father in the law business and is now
engaged in practice in Fairfield, besides being
largely interested with his father and brother in
dealing in horses. He is at present Secretary of
the National French Draft Horse Association of
America. He married Miss Corrie Hunter, daugh-
ter of Dr. Hunter, of Newton, Iowa; Cora May,
the third child, is the wife of D. C. Bradley, of
Centerville, Iowa: Minnehaha, the youngest, is un-
married and resides at home.

Mr. Stubbs is liberal in his religious views and
is not a member of any religious denomination.
He was for some years connectetl vvith the Odd
Fellows fraternity and is now an Ancient Odd Fel-
low. In 1885 ho purchased the Empire Ranch, a
stock farm of four hundred acres, which is situated
adjacent to the citj' of Fairfield on the east, and
which is admirably adapted for stock purposes,
being largely' a blue-grass pasture, well vvatered and
rolliniT enough to be picturesque and healthful for

stock. On this ranch Mr. Stubbs and his sons are
carrying on an extensive business in im|)orting
and breeding Oldenberg coach and heavy draft
horses. He and his son Charles have traveled
extensively in Europe in connection with that en-
terprise and have selected and imported a large
number of the finest horses to be found in the Old
World. The son has crossed the ocean twelve
times in the interest of the ranch and has been very
successful in his purchases. Their horses are prlnci-
l)ally of the French and Belgian stock — heavy draft
animals, yet they have many fine specimens of the
coach horse. The read}' sale the proprietors of the
P>mpire Ranch have found for their stock and the
large number disposed of, testify to^the good judg-
ment shown in the selection of the animals for im-
portation. The benefit of this enterprise to the
country will be shown by a marked improvement
in the growing horses which will make Fairfield
one of the most popular horse markets in the West.

^v ^ ARTIN KAYS, an insurance agent, of
Milton. Van Buren County, was born in
Sussex County, N. J., March 30, 1817, siid
is descended from good old Revolutionary
stock. His grandfather, John Kays, who was born
on the bank of the Delaware River, near Philadel-
pliia, served in the War for Independence, and it
is said that he carried the dispatch telling of the
surrender of Burgoyne to Gen. Washington. His
seventh son, Samuel Kays, the father of our subject,
was born in New Jersey in 1792, and died in tliat
Stale about 1849. He married Elizabeth Tuttle,
who was about five years his junior, and who was
descended from an old New England famil3'. Her
death occurred in 1887.

The subject of this sketch received such educa-
tional advantages as the subscription schools of
that day afforded, and was rcired to the occupa-
tions of farming and milling. On the 7th of Oc-
tober, 1849, in Warren County, N. J., he was

574

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

united in marriage with Miss Maiy Jane Lanning,
wlio was born May 21, 1822, and was a '^laughter
of Isaac and Mary Lanning, who were of Gorman
descent. Their union was blessed with four chil-
dren, two sons and two daughters: Samuel Irving,
born in New Jersey, September 21, 1850, <lied in
Van Buren County, March 19, 1881; Harriet, born
April 11, 1852, is the wife of Thomas H. Dye, who
resides near C'antril, Iowa; George, born Marcli
23, 1856, married Mattie Snodgrass, and is now a
member of the firm of Bell, Hill & Kays; Mary
i:iizabcth, born in New Jersey, August 22, 1857,
is keeping house for her father. The mother of
the family died in Milton, August 10, 1887.

Mr. Kays came to Keosauqua in the spring of
1857, and thinking it would prove a favorable loca-
tion brought his family to Van Buren County in
the spring of the following year. He purchased a
steam flouring-mill, which he operated for some
five years. About 180G he removed to Milton,
where he carried on business for twelve j^ears with
a partner, since which time he has been in the in-
surance business. He is a man of upright moral
character, respected and honored by his fellow-
citizens, but is not a member of an}- religious
organization. In early life he supported the Whig
party, but now casts his ballot with the Republican
party.

^.i.«a,(SL-

^_^ ON. JACOB G. VALE, ex-Senator of Iowa,
j) was born in the western part of York
County, Pa., July 7, 1821. The family is
^) of English origin. He traces his ancestr}-
back to Robert ^'ale, a native of England, who
followed a seafaring life, being captain of the ship
on which William Penn made his second voyage to
America. In order to induce him to locate in
America, Penn gave him one thousand acres of
land in York County, Pa., on which he settled.
Soon afterward he married Anna Bula, a native of
Ireland, but a Quaker in religious faith. Tliey had
a family of six children, including William Vale,
grandfather of our subject, who uiarried Miss Anna

Witherall. a native of Ireland. They became the
parents of two sons and five daughters, the young-
est son being Jolin, who was born on the old home-
stead, and there lived until the age of thirty years.
On attaining his majority he married Miss Lydia
Garretson, a native of Pens3'lvania,.but of English-
German ancestry, and the union was blessed with
a family of four children.

Our subject is the onl3' survivor. He was but
two months old at the lime of his father's death,
and he made his home witli his maternal grand-
father until the death of that gentleman, when
Jacob was a lad of nine years. He then lived with
his mother's brother, Daniel Garretson, until nine-
teen _years of age. With his brotiier he emigrated
to Jefferson County, Ohio, and after attending
school for a few terms was engaged as teacher in
the district schools. He then spent a year in the
Mt. Pleasant boarding school, under the manage-
ment of the Society of Friends, and during the
succeeding twelve years followed teaching, and per-
fected his previous imperfect knowledge of the
higher scientific branches. For eight j'ears of this
time he served as Principal of the Smithfield public
schools, and also studied law under Edwin M.
Stanton, Secretary of War under President Lin-
coln. He was admitted to the bar in 1844, in Jef-
ferson County, Ohio, and in 1817 was a candidate
for the State Legislature in a Democratic county
in Ohio, where he was beaten by onl}' twenty-one
yotes.

The same j'ear Mr. Vale was united in marriage
with Miss Anne, daughter of Benjamin Rex, a
wealthy Ohio farmer, and unto them were born six
children. They came to Iowa in 1850, after which
Mr. Vale continued to practice only as an accom-
modation to his friends until 1860, since which
time he has devoted himself entirely to the care of
his farm. He first located in Lee Countj-. where,
in 1853, he was a candidate on an independent
ticket for the Legislature but was beaten. In 1856
he came to Van Buren County, and in the fall of
1869 was solicited by representatives of both ])ar-
ties to become a candidate for the State Senate,
and was elected by a fair majority, being the only
independent Senator in the Thirteenth General As-
sembly*. Politically he is a stanch Republican, and

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

575

religiously is a faitliful Presbyterian. In his leg-
islative labors he was conscientious, never advoca-
ting a measure until he was fully persuaded that
he was right, and then it would require facts with
the force of logic to turn him aside from the appar-
ent path of duty. 0|)posite to his name in every
enterprise, social, moral, financial or official, may
be written the word '"success."

EDWIN MANNING, the honored pioneer,
has for half a century made his home on the
. site of Keusau(jua. Van Buren County, of

which city he was the founder. This volume would
be incomplete without his sketch for he h.is not
only been long a resident of the count}', but has
been idenlilied with its growth and progress and
few have aided more in the advancement of its in-
terests.

Mr. Manning was born in Coventr}', Conn.,
Febrnary 8, 1810, and isasonof Calvin and Desire
(Gurley) Manning who belonged to old New Eng-
land families. Tliey were parents of two sons and
two daugliters. Fannie the ekh^st, married James
Preston and died in her native county; Edwin is
the second in order of birth; William died on the
old homestead at the age of thirty years, and Anna
R., wife of Dr. S. W. Barrows, is living in Hartford,
Conn. The |)arenls, who were consistent ami faith-
ful members of the Congregational Church, died in
Coventry, Conn., respected by all who knew them.
Mr. Manning was a Whig in political sentiment and
was honored by .an election to the office of Com-
missioner of Des Moines River Improvement and
also served in said office until its affairs were Onally
adjusted.

The subject C)f this sketch was reared in a man-
ner similar to the majority of boys of his day and
received his education in the primitive schools of
his native Stale. When a lad of sixteen years he
entered the store of his uncle, Royal Manning, as
salesman, which position he held for six months,
when he went to Bethanj', Pa., where he accepted

a similar position with another uncle, James Man-
ning, receiving $10 per month as a compensation
for his services. After five j'ears, in which time he
had mastered the business, he was taken in as a
partner with a third interest. Aside from the
knowledge gained concerning mercantile life, Mr.
Manning acquired other information which proved
of much value to him in after life, ills uncle dur-
ing his stay in Bethany, was elected Associate Jus-
tice and Recorder of the count}', and Edwin became
acquainted with the routine of those offices which
knowledge proved of great benefit to him in after
life in making plats, etc. In 1831, he left Bethany
and embarked in business at Canton Corners, Brad-
ford County, Pa., forming a partnership with J. C.
Rose under the firm name of Manning & Rose,
which connection w,as continued until tlie autumn
of 1836, when he disposed of his interest and
started for the West. He boarded a boat for St.
Louis, then the metropolis of the West, and on
reaching his destination Col. Benton advised him
and his associates to locate in that city, but think-
ing his purse too light to invest much in real estate
there, he pushed on to Lexington, Mo., where he
made inquires in regard to lands. On receiving in-
formation that he could obtain property in Saline
and Jackson Counties, accompanied by his uncle
and a Mr. Tyler he made his way to the places in-
dicated and liecame owner of some real estate, of
which Mr. Tyler was left in charge. Being op-
posed to slavery, he and his uncle proceeded north-
ward uf) the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers to
St. Francesville, Lee County. Tliat was in De-
cember, 1836. After making some investments
they continued on to Ft. Madison, where they
visited the wigwam of the noted chief. Black
Hawk, who treated them in a friendly manner but
a[)peared rather reticent in regard to giving in-
formation, seeming to realize that his power was
fast being taken from him.

In January, 1837, Mr. Manning, with James Hall,
John Fuirman and John Carnes, purchased a claim
to the laud and platted the town of Keosauqua.
Our subject then returned on a visit .to Pennsyl-
vania, but the following year again came to Iowa
and attended the first land sale at Burlington, pur-
chasing several small tracts of land for himself to-

576

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

gether with quite a large amount for others. In
1839, he purchased in New York the first stock of
goods over brought to Keosauqua, shipping the
same !•)' wa}- of the sea to the mouth of the Mis-
sissippi and up that river to Churchville, the
moutli of the Des Moines River, being seven weeks
on their way. He also built the first flatboat, in
1844, that floated down the Des Moines River, and
ran the first loaded steamer from St. Louis to Des
Moines, in 1851. He was appointed Commissioner
of the Des Moines River Improvement, liy Gov.
Grimes, serving in that capacity in 1859. In fact
there are few industries or enterprises, or works of
improvement and progress of the earl}- days with
which he was not connected.

Mr. Manning has been twice married. In Lee
County, Iowa, March 8, 1842, he was joined in
wedlock with Miss Sarah J. Sample, who was bjrn
in Pennsylvania, July 21, 1816, and died June 1,
1857, leaving three children — Calvin, a prominent
attorne}' of Ottumua, Iowa; William who is en-
gaged in farming, and Anna G. The second mar-
riage of Edwin Manning was solemnized November
3, 1859, the lady of his choice being Nannie Bryant,
who was born in Indiana, February 3, 1832, and is
an adopted daughter of Hon. Joseph A. Wright.
Unto them have been born five children: Albert,
Edward Bates, Stanley, Craig and Katie W. Mrs.
Manning and Katie are members of the Congre-
gational Church, and are among its most active and
faithful workers. Out of the kindness of her
heart Mrs, Manning performs many acts of
charity and deeds of love which have won for her
the lasting gratitude and affection of those who
were recipients of hor bounty- and the respect of all
who were witnesses of her kindness. However her
work is all performed in a quiet and unostentatious
manner that it nsay not be praised by men.

In early life, Mr. Manning was a Whig and cast
his first vote for Gen. Harrison. Since the organi-
zation of the Republican party he has been one of
its stalwart supporters, yet notwithstanding his
prominence in the county and State he has steadily
refused to accept public office, devoting Ids atten-
tion exclusively to his business interests and the
discbarge of his duties as a private citizen. Words
of praise and high regard are spoken on every

hand of Mr. Manning who, it would seem, is with-
out an enemy. Stories are told of his generosity, #
of numberless good deeds quietly performed, of
words of encouragement offered to the despondent,
and of substantial aid given to those in need. In
his earlier years his own life was a struggle to gain
a firm financial standing and he therefore readily
feels a sympathy for others. His capital when he
started out in life for himself consisted of a good
constitution, temperate and frugal habits, pluck and
perseverance and unquestioned integrity, but he
has in the years which have come and gone ac-
quired an ample competence and worked his way
upward to a prominent position and is respected
of all men.

As an illustration of the changes which have
taken jilaee during the half century which Mr.
Manning has spent in Van Buren County, he cites
the fact that he has lived in the territories of Mich-
igan and Wisconsin, and the Territory and State of
Iowa all under one roof. On his arrival there were
only about one-fourth as many inhabitants in the
whole Territory as we now find in the county. Few
improvements had been made, the land was in its
primitive condition and the future of the State was
unknown. Even the most far-sighted could not
have dreamer! of its brightness ami we would cer-
tainly claim it an honor to have been an eye-wit-
ne.ss of the wonderful transformation, but to be an
active participant in the various changes which
have taken place is a favor not shown to every one,
yet among the latter class is enrolled Edwin Man-
ning, the pioneer of Van Buren County, and the
builder of the first brick court-house in the State of
Iowa in 1842, which is now as good as now.

^^

/OHN RUPP is now living a retired life on
I section 24, Lockridge Township, Jefferson
I County. During his business career, he devot-
' ed himself to farming and b}- industry, econ'
omy, perseverance and good management acquired a
capital which now enables h!m to spend his dcclin-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

577

ing years in retirement from labor. He was horn
near Strasburg, France, on the 23rl of January.
1812, and his parents, Joseph and Barbara Rniip,
were also natives of that place. Both si)cnt their
entire lives i:i France, the mother dying when J^)hn
was a lad of tifteen. and the fatlier while he was
serving his term in the array. There were six
children in the family but our subject is the only
one now living.

John Ru|ip is indeed a self-made man for since
the early age of ten years lie has been dependent
upon his own resources for a livelihood. At that
age he began herding cattle and his life was one of
hard lal)or until he entered the army at the age of
twenty-one. He served for some five and a half
years, doing duty in Paris and on the Spanish
frontier. Not long after his term had expired one
of the most important events in his career took
place, his marriage to Miss Magdelena Bachman.
He was now twenty-nine years of age, he had a
wife depending upon him for support and had little
that he could call his own. Although he might
provide for their wants in his native land he felt
that he could better his financial condition in the
New World where opportunities offered were super-
ior to the advaulages afforded in the old countries.
After a voyage of thirty-nine days, he set foot
upon American soil and then continued on his
journey to Holmes County, Ohio, where he made
his first start in life. For four years he worked by
the day, clearing land and having accumulated
some surplus ca|)ital, he then made an investment
in stock and renting a farm devoted his attention
to the breeding of hogs and cattle. Continuing
to be blessed with a fair degree of prosperity, in
1852 he was enabled to come to Jefferson County,
Iowa, and purchase one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Lockridge Township, paying ■l!515 for the
quarter section. As the tract was still in its primi-
tive condition with not a furrow turned or an im-
provement made, he rented land one season while
he was erecting a dwelling and barns upon his own
farm. That work being accomplished he removed
to his new home and then began life in earnest.
He devoted himself to general farming and became
the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of
good land which is still in his possession, although

he is not now operating it. He could not speak
the English language on his arrival in America,
but he soon mastered the tongue and by his fair
and honest dealing and his evident desire to please
those for whom he worked he was not long in
olitaining employment. The property which he
acquired is but a just recompense for his labors.
It surrounds him in old age with the comforts of
life and enables him to spend his declining 3'ears
unharassed by the trials and perplexities of busi-
ness.

In 1890 Mr. Rupp was called upon to mourn the
loss of his wife who died on the 2 tth of April. For
more than half a century they had traveled life's
journey together and her loss made a desolate
home. Mr. Rupp has since lived with his daughter.
The following are the chihlren born of their union :
Christian, now deceased; Daniel, who is living in
Nebraska; John, of Oregon; Henrj', who resides
on the old homestead ; Joseph, now deceased ; Jacob,
of Colorado; and Magdelena, wife of Charles
Erickson, a farmer of Lockiidge Township, by
whom she has four children living. They also lost
one child. Mr. Rupp, as was his wife, is a member
of the Mennonite Church and a liberal supporter of
the work. In politics he has been a stanch Demo-
crat since becoming an American citizen, but takes
no active part in political affairs. He has lived an
upright life worthy the respect and confidence of
all who know him and is an honored citizen, whose
life work we are pleased to record in this volume.

aii^i^I'l^^D

A. MYERS, a representative farmer and
'^^f stock-raiser residing on section 34, Polk
|ll/\n) Township, Jefferson County, is a native of .

Washington County, Pa., born in 1849, and
the youngest child in a family of thirteen children,
whose parents, Stephen and Sarah (Huffman)
Myers, were also natives of the Keystone State.
His father was born in 1802, .and on attaining
to mature years wedded Miss Huffman, after which
he continued to make his home in Pennsylvania

578

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

until the spi-ing of 185.5, when, accompanied by
iiis family, he followed the course of emigration
which was steadily drifting westward, and made a
scllleraent in Polk Township. Jefferson Count3',
Iowa. He became an extensive farmer of this
community and was also recognized as one of its
leading citizens. On his arrival, he made pur-
chase of three hundred and seven acres of partially
improved land, to which he afterwards added one
liundied and sixty acres, placing the entire amount
under cultivation and adding many substantial and
ornamental improvements. He was a man of more
tlian average ability, possessed good business
qiialiticiitions, was fair and honest in all his deal-
ings and won for himself a comfortable competency.
His death occurred in 1872, and. his wife, who was
a faithful member of the Ba))tist Church and a
most estimable ladv, was called to her final rest in
tlie same year. As before stated, Mr. and Mrs.
Myers were parents of thirteen children and the
family circle remained unbroken until all had
grown to manhood and womanhood. Richard is now
a farmer of Pulk Township ; Amanda is the deceased
wife of P. T. Henness; Mary is the deceased wife
of George Campbell; Solomon H. is a resident
farmer of Polk Township; Jacob C. is a shoe
maker of Hedrick, Iowa ; Lavina is the deoeased
wife of George Hayes; Elmira became the wife of
Krastus Ramet, but has also been called from this
life; Casandre is the dece'ised wife of Jackson
Uijpj'; Sarah his also departed this life; Elizabeth
became the wife of George Scott, but is now
nurnlx'red among the dead; Levi G. is engaged in
farming in Polk Township; Khoda is the wife of
Jonathan Longerborc, a resident farmer of Polk
Township; and S. A. completes the family.

When a lad of sis summers, our subject ac-
companied his parents on their emigration to Iowa,
and in the district schools of the neighborhood he
•acquired a good English education. I'nder the
iwternal roof he was reared to manhood and at the
age of eighteen years he began life for himself as a
farmer, renting land of his father. In 1874, wlien
about twenty-five ye.ars of age, he was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Longerbone, whose
home was in Polk Township, and who is a daughter i
of Parkerson and Lucinda (Grice) Longerbone, |

who are r9sidents of this community. Their union
has been blessed with five children, four sons and
one daughter. The latter, Daisj'. is the eldest of
the family, and her brotliers are Charles O.,
Lawrence A., Truman O. and Walter A.

The family has a comfortable home as the result
of the industry and perseverance of Mr. Myers,
who is regarded as one of the progressive farmers
of the township. He now owns a well-improved
farm of three hundred and eighty acres, a glance at
which will give evidence of its thrift and enter-
prise. He provides his wife and children with
ever}' thing that will enhance their happiness, their
' home is the abode of hospitality and the members
' of the household rank high in the social world.
Mr. and Mrs. Myers are members of the Baptist
Cliurch. He gives liberally for the support of all
; laudable enterprises, and in politics is a sui)porter
of Rei)ublican principles.

E^^^

'\T^ AMES \V. GORDON, proprietor of a livery,
sale and boarding stable, of Fairfield, Iowa,
^_, commenced business in his present line in
'^j^l 188G, but has been a resident of the county
since 1876. He is a native of Waynesburg, Greene
County, Pti., born September 18, 1856, and a son
of Adam and Lydia A. (Rhodes) Gordon, both of
whom were also natives of Greene County. On
the father's side the family is of Scotch origin, and
on the maternal side of Irish descent.

The days of his boyhood and youth our subject
passed uneventfully in his native State, and at the
age of twenty years ho came to Iowa, where he
has since made his home, locating on a farm near
Fairfield City. To the cultivation and improvement
of his land he devoted his attention for some ten
years, when in 1886, he sold out and bought into
his present business.

On the 14th of October, 1883, in Lonica, La
Salle County, III., Mr. Gordon was married, the
lady of his choice being Miss Cora A. Van Atta, a
native of La Salle County, and a daughter of

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

579

AVilson Vnn Atta. By tlieir union were born
three children, but one of the number, the second
in order of birth, Ora, died at the age (jf ten
niontlis. Those living arc Lidda A. and Hazel A.
Jn his political affiliations Mr. Gordon is a
supporter of Democratic principles, and socially he
is a nietnbcr of tlie Royal Arcanum, belonging to
the local lodge of Fairfield. His business is now
in a nourishing condition and he is winning a fair
share of tlie public patronage. He has all the
accommodations of a fiist-class livery, and those
who once do business vvith him aie ever afterward
willing to extend to liim their further patronage
on account of his promptness and courteous
treatment.

.^^|<^..-^

A McREYNOLDS. The history of .Jef-
ferson County would be incomplete wilh-
^ out this sketch, for our subject is one of her
prominent citizens and honored pioneers,
who for forty-six years has made his home
upon section 19, Polk Township. He was born
in Allen Count}-. Ky., in 1814, being the sixth
in a family of eleven children, whose parents
were iidward and Sally (Anderson) McReynclds.
The McReynolds family is of Irish origin and
was founded in IS'orlh Carolina during Colonial
days. The paternal grandfather during the War
for Independence entered the service as a
private, but for meritorious conduct and bravery
displayed on the field of battle was promoted to
the rank of Major. The grandfather Anderson^
who was also a Revolutionaiy hero, was of Swed-
ish descent. Edward McReynolds, father of our
subject, was a native of North Carolina, but dur-
ing his youth went to Tennessee and was married
in Kentucky to Miss Anderson, who was born in
Virginia. They began their domestic life upon a
farm in Tennessee along the banks of the Cumber-
land River, but after a number of years, in 1831,
removed to Indiana, locating in Gibson County,
which continued to be their home until 1844.

That year witnessed the arrival of the family in
Jefferson County, Iowa, and upon a farm in Polk
Township, i\Ir. McReynolds spent the remainder of
his life, dying in 186.5, at the age of eighty-one
years. The death of his wife occurred in 1852, .at
the age of sixty- three years.

Our subject was reared among the wild scenes
of frontier life as during his boyhood days, Gilison
Count}', Ind, was but sparsely settled. The priva-
tions of pioneer life were therefore not unfamiliar
to him and in a measure he was pre[)ared for his
experience on this side of the Mississippi. He en-
tered upon his business career as a farmer in Gib-
son County and was there married in 1840, to
Clarissa Prince, a native of New York, and a
daughter of Elijah and Caroline (.Tones) Prince,
the former born in Connecticut and the latter in
the Empire S'tate. In 1837 they became residents
of Indiana, where both passed away, but Mrs.
Prince survived her husband some twenty years.
Jlr. McReynolds continued his farming opera-
tions in Indiana until 1844, when enticed by the
opportunities afforded by the Territory of Iowa, he
settled in Jefferson County. Entering eighty acres
of land from the Government, he at once began its
development, and greatly increased its value by
the erection of a nice house and good barns. A
one hundred and seventy-acre tract now pays tribute
to his care and cultivation, but he has not attained to
his present prosperous condition without laborious
effort. His only property on his arrival in the
county was a team and wagon and the latter he
traded for his claim. He engaged in driving cattle
to market and in various ways added to his capital
until he could make another investment. At that
day the Indians were about as numerous as the
white settlers, wild game of all kinds was yet plen-
tiful, the rude homes of the pioneers were widely
scattered and the work of development and civili-
z.ation seemed scarcely begun. In many ways_
Mr. McReynolds has aided in the growth and up-
building of the community. He was one of the
first school teachers in Polk Townshii), is said to
have taught the first school in his district and has
ever identified himself with the educational in-
terests as he believes that to be an essential to
good citizenship. He assisted in organizing the

580

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

school district and has served on the School Board
for thirty \ ears. Socially, he is a member of
Abingdon Lodge, No. 104, A. F. & A. M. and po-
lilieally is a Republican.

In 1«5S, Mr. McRejnolds was called upon to
nionrn the loss of his wife. By tliat union were born
ten children, six yet living and four deceased —
George W. is married and resides in Ottuniwa ; Mary
J. is now Mrs. Randall of Clay County, Neb.; O. II.
is married and also makes his home in Clay County;
John W. is living in Clay County; Lucilla is now
Mrs. Collins of Kansas City; W. S. is married
and resides in Clay County, Neb. Mr. Mc-
Reynolds was again married in Jefferson County,
in 1859, his second union being with Miss Mary
McCord, who is a native of Virginia, and a
daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (Webb) Rob-
inson. Her parents were also born in the Old
Dominion and from Illinois removed to Jef-
ferson County in 1844. They developed a farm in
Polk Township but both are now deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. McReynolds are members of the
Methodist Ki)iscopal Church, having been connect-
ed with it for many years, during which time they
have labored for its interests and liberally support-
ed the cause. Their lives are in accordance with
till ir professions and their friends yield them the
respect and confidence deserved by their worth and
upright lives.

-€-*-^-

~/OHN NELSON NORRIS, M. D., a leading
phjsicianand surgeon of Van Buren County
residing in Birmingham, was born in Steuben
County, N. Y., June 7, 181 (i, and is a son
of James and Hettie (Hyatt) Norris. The familj'
is "if 'Jerraan origin. Shadrach Norris, the grand-
father of our subject, emigrated from Germanj' to
this country and settled in New Jersey. His wife
was a native of County Antrim, Ireland. After
their marriage they removed to Steuben County,
N. Y. The father of the Doctor was born in New
Jersey, in 1784. He served his country in the War

of 1812, and after bis return from the array was
married in Steuben County, in 1815, to Miss Hyatt
who was born in the same county in 1790, and
came of ))ure English stock. He was a farmer by
occupation but at the time of his death which oc-
curred in 1829, he was working at contracting on
the Ohio canal. His wife died some six years later
in the faith of the ]5a|)tist Church, of which she
was a member. In political sentiments, Mr. Norris
was a supiiorler of Democratic principles. In their
familv were four children, of whom three are yet
living — Rebecca, widow of Isaac Young, a resident
of Albany, Ore. ; John Nelson of this sketch, and
Wellha, widow of Dr. William Miller, also resid-
ing in Albany, Ore.

The days of his boyhood and youth our subject
spent upon a farm and in the common schools of
that day acquired a good English education. How-
ever, not desiring to follow the pursuit to which
he had been reared, he left the parental roof and
bidding good-by to home and friends started out
in life to make his own way in the world. The
Qrst pursuit to which he turned his attention was
that of clerking, being employed in a store at Mil-
lersliurg, Ohio. He conceived the idea of making
the practice of medicine his life work and during
his leisure hours gave his time to the study of that
science. In 1837, he and his brother-in-law, Dr.
William Miller, came to Iowa, and in February of
1838, located adjoining the site of the present
town of Birmingham, which has since grown u[)
around them. They built a cabin of hickory poles
which they adorned with a stick chimney and
though the roof served well in dry weather it
proved hardly adequate in the rainy season. The
Doctor was his own cabinet maker; with auger and
ax he constructed a bed which at least possessed
one admirable quality, that of strength. Soon after
arriving. Dr. Miller and his wife were taken sick
and Dr. Norris, being an "all around man" served
as housekeeper, n\u'se, doctor and cook. To fill the
last position required no little ingenuity. They
had brought a sack of meal with them but it had
got wet and spoiled and he therefore had to im-
provise a grater and provide the bread stuff. Salt
was wanting but he boiled salt beef bones and thus
obtaincfl the much desired article. Stagnant pond

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

581

water was not very palatable l)ut who cared for
tliat when with one stroke of the bucket you eoukl
drive tlie scum away and scare the tadpoles-to the
bottom. Is it any wonder that a person who couhl
find some way to surmount such obstacles as this
should succeed in professional life. The Doctor
was blessed with a liberal patronage from the first.
He woulil often have to drive twenty or twenty-
five miles to visit a patient and became known all
over the county. Having practiccil until 18.^4, lie
was graduated from the medical de|)artmenl of the
State University, then at Keokuk. Twenty-two
students have prepared tlieraselves for college un-
der his instruction; he has been very successful in
surs'cry, having cut out s'ome twenty-two tumors
and has had an extensive and successful course of
practice on the eyes, patients coining to him from
different States to receive treatment.

On July 26, 1842, Dr. Norris w.as united in mar-
riage with Miss Margaretta S. Culbertson, a native
of Ohio, and unto them were born two children —
Hettie F., widow of C. M. Selvey, and Samuel C.
who served in the Third Iowa Cavalry during the
late war. He was taken prisoner near Memphis,
Tenn., and then sent to Andersonville, where lie
remained in captivity for four months. He died in
1871, from the effects of prison life. The mother
of these children was called to her final rest in
September, 1847. 'I'he Doctor was again married
October 26, 1848, the lady of his choice being
Barbara Miller, who was born in Highland County,
Ohio, December 22, 1823, and came to this county
among its early settlers. Their union has been
blessed with six children — Izora M., wife of John
S. Ragsdale, a druggist of Birmingham; John M.
wlio died when about two years old; Dr. W. Pitt,
who for some sixteen years has been a partner of
his father, and Dr. Jay C. who has shared in their
business for some seven years.

In early life, Dr. Norris supported the Whig
part}' until the rise of the Abolition part}'. On the
organization of the Republican party he joined its
ranks but within the past fifteen years he has been
independent, voting alone for the man who he
thinks will best fill the position. Religioush', he
grasps the broad idea of the brotherhood of all
Christians, making the test of fellowship, lo3'alt\- to

Christ. The Doctor has the honor of having aided
inlaying out the town of Birmingham and giving
it its name. In 183!) John Harrison took a chum
on which the city now stands. The Doctor after
much argument and many promises of assistance
induced Mr. Harrison to make the; venture of
founding the town and the result sliows that his
ideas were correct. He has witnessed its growth,
has been identified with its advancement and has
done not a little for its upbuilding. For fifty-one
years he has been engaged in thejpractice of medi-
cine in Van Buren Count}', during which he has
won a reputiition equal to any in this section ;in<l
as a true student still keeps himself well informed
concerning the progressive movement of the science.

^-^^^^^^^^^!^f^^<-^

HARLES SHIPMAN CLARKE, M. D., a

pioneer physician of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa,
'i' and for many years a prominent business
man of Fairfield, was born in Marietta, Ohio, De-
cember 15, 1814, and was a son of Sylvester and
Mary (Bull) Clarke. His father, Sylvester Clarke,
was of English descent, born March 27, 1786, in
West Middleton, Conn. His mother, Mary (Bull)
Clarke, was also of English descent, born in Weath-
ersfield. Conn., M.u'cli 5, 1 787. They were married
September 20, 1807, and became the parents of six
children. Charles Shipmau, the eldest son, was
born, as stated, in Ohio, where his parents had emi-
grated at an early day, his mother having an inter-
est in what was known as the Ohio Company's
Purchase. The family lived in Marietta until 1817
when they removed to Fredericktown,Knox County
of the same State, where they made their home for
many years, coniing to Iowa in the autumn i^f
1843, settling in .Mt. I'leasant, where they spent the
remainder of their lives. The father died March
3, 1858, and the mother departed this life October
22, 1845.

Dr. Clarke received a liberal education and at-
tended a course of lectures at the Columbus Medi-
cal College in 1835, after which he entered upon

582

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the piactice of bis profession in Suiibur}'. Delaware
County, Ohio. On the 8Ui of October, 1837, he
was married, in Frederiektowii, to Miss .Sarah L.
"Wailsworlh, who is a native of Pittsford. Vt., anrl
a daiinhter of .Samuel and Sarali (Yemans) Wads-
worth. Her father and paternal grandfather were
born in Stonghton, IMass.,and were related to Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow, America's illustrions poet.
Mrs. Clarke is a descendant of Christopher Wads-
worth, the founder of tlie fainilj' in this countr}',
who landed on the American shore from tlie good
ship "Lion" .Septer/iber 16, 1632. He had four
children, threu sons and a daughter. The eldest
son, Capt. .Samuel Wadsworth, was killed in the
Indian War in .Sudbury, Mass. Mrs. Clarke's
grandfather, Daviii Wadsworth, and father, Sam-
uel Wadsworth, were I'oru in Stoughton, Mass.
The former married Lleanore Capen ami unto
them were born six children, of whom .Samuel was
the eldest. The family removed to Rutland, Vt.,
where on the 21st of October, 1813, Samuel mar-
ried .Sarah Yemans. Unto them were born eight
children, three of whom tlied in infanc)'. Through
the persuasion of David Wailswotth, who h.ad been
in the West several years and who returned to
Vermont to visit his ,'iged parents, his brother
.Samuel decided to emigrate to Ohio, hoping thereby
to belter the condition of his children. He settled
in Frcdericktown, the home of Dr. Clarke, who
first became acquainted with Sarah Wadsworth
dniing their school d.ays.

Tlie Doctor pracliced a year with his old precep-
tor and after marrying Miss Wadsworth removed
to Sunbury, Delaware County, where he speut
about four 3'ears, when his wife became so ill that
her life was despaired of. She finall\' rallied so far
as to be able to travel and the Doctor took her to
Kentucky, hoping that a milder climate would re-
st<irc her health. After four pleasant years of im-
[irovement they returned to Ohio. The Doctor now
carried out his long-cliei-ished wish of attending
another course of lectures and was graduated with
honor in Cincinnati in 1843. Returning home he
found a sister and brother-in-law on llie eve of re-
moving tb Iowa and anxious that he should accom-
pany them. As he wi(^ unsettled he concluded lu
<lo so and found a good opening in Mt. Pleasant

where he devoted fourteen years to an active and
successful practice. His ability and skill gave him
raidi among the leading physicians of the State and
he was recognized as a [n-ominent member of the
county and State medical societies. On the 24lh
of January, 1855, he was ap|)ointed by the Gen-
eral Assembly a member of the Board of Commis-
sioners whose duty it was to purchase and locate a
site and adopt plans for an insane asylum. Gov.
Grimes an.i Judge Edward Johnson were a|)pointed
his associates on the Board. The Commissioners
made a tour of nine of the Eastern States, decided
on a plan and selected Mt. Pleasant as the site of
the proposed asylum. During the erection and
completion of the institution the Doctor was act-
ively identified witli its management and to his
foresight the people of the .State are much inde'jted
for the perfection and successful start of that im-
portant State institution. In 1857,on acount of im-
paired health, he removed to Fairfield and engaged
in the drug business with the view of retiring from
the more arduous life of a practicing physician.
From that time forward he virtually abandoned all
practice, only making an occasional exception to
the rule, when, out of the kindness of his heart, he
attended without charge a member of the familj- of
some intimate friend.

Dr. Clarke's familv consisted of liis wife ami five
children, two daughters and three sons, to whom he
was devoted with that earnest tenderness which
characterii;ed his nature. Charles A., the eldest
son, married Miss Ella A. Acheson, a daughter of
George Acheson, and is a Lieutenant in the United
Slates Navy, now stationed on the Sandwicli Isl-
ands. George D., the next .younger married Miss
Etta Montgomery and is engaged in the drug busi-
ness in Fairfield; J. Frederick, the _youngest of the
family, was graduated from the Slate Univr.rsit}' of
Iowa in the class of 1886 and from the University of
Pennsylvania with the degree of M. D. in the class
of 1889. He now holds the position of resident
physician in the I'hiladeliihia Hospital.

Dr. Clarke was a Whig in early life and on the
dissolution of that parly was one of the first to aid
in the formation of the Republican party. He was
an earnest patriot and during the late war for the
preservation of the Union was a stanch supporter

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

583

of the administration of Pi-esident I>incoln. His
acquaintance was extensive among tlie leading pub-
lic men of Iowa and lie enjoyed the confidence and
personal regard of such as Gov. Kirkwood, Gov.
Grimes, Senator Harlan and many others of prom-
inence. He was well versed in politics and always
manifested a deep interest in public affairs and ex-
ercised a strong influence in that direction without
desiring preferment for himself. For many years
his place of business was the political headf,uarters
for the leaders of his jjarty in Fairfield, and Dr.
Clarke's opinions and advice were much sought
and consulted. When in the year 1872 Horace
Greeley and many other leading Republicans op-
posed the re-election of Grant, Dr. Clarke joined
that part of the party called "Liberal Repub-
licans" and opposed the regular nominations of
the old party. True to his convictions and in spite
of the strong ties of personal friendship existing
between himself and the Republican leaders in
Iowa, Dr. Clarke continued to support the opposi-
tion and thereby necessarily became estranged to a
certain extent from his old party affiliations. He
at once became prominent on the other side and at
one time was nominated for the State Senate by
tlie Democrats and Liberals but his party strength
was not equal to securing his election. In his re-
ligious views. Dr. Clarke was broad and liberal
and should properly be classed as a Unitarian.
However, he gave to the support, of churches of all
denominations and was free-hearted and generous
in support of all ivorth3' public enterprises. To
young men he was especially helpful in encourag-
ing and aiding them to make a start in life. The
unfortunate and need}' always found in him a [rue
friend and were always benefited by his warm sym-
liatby and substantial generosity. He continued in
the drug business in Fairfield up to the time of his
last illness, which resulted in his death on the 4th
of March, 1882.

The principles of fraternal and benevolent socie-
ties attracted the attention of Dr. Clarke in early
life and were in sympathy with his generous and
social nature. He became a Mason in Mt. Pleasant
and was at the time of his death a member of Clin-
ton Lodge, No. 1.5, A. F. & A. M. and of Jefferson
Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F., of Fairfield. He took a

warm interest in educational matters and in 1859
was elected the first President of the Board of the
Fairfield independent school district and was ac-
tively connected with the Board for several years.
The Jefferson County Public Library enlisted his
warmest interest from the tinie of his coming to
Fairfield. He was elected a member of the Library
Board in 1858 and that institution had few more
devoted friends or workers than he.

Mrs. Clarke survives her husband and is still a
resident of Fairfield, where she enjoys the high es-
teem and klndlv regard of a wide circle of friends.

-^-

] S. BAILEY, M. D., is one of the pioneer
n physicians and early settlers of Van Buren
J County, having made his home within its
borders since June, 1837. Probably no man in
the community has been more prominently identi-
fied with its history, especially during the early
days, than he, and tlie active part which he took
in the upbuilding and advancement of the county's
interests certainly deserves mention in this vol-
ume and should be remembered with gratitude by
the citizens through coming generations. Indiana
was the State of his nativit}', and in Lawrence
County, on the 3d of June, 1809, he first opened
his e3'es to the light of day. His parents were
Charles and Sally (Smith) Bailey, and he was
the sixth child of the famil}'. The days of his
bojdiood and }'outh were spent in Lawrence County
and at an early age be determined to engage in the
practice of medicine. To this end he entered the
office of Dr. Moberly, under whose direction he
pursued a course of reading, which he continued
until accompanying his family on their removal to
Shelby County, 111., where he completed his medi-
cal studies and entered upon the practice of his
chosen profession in Charleston, Coles County. It
was during his residence in that place that he led
to the marriage altar Miss Julia Manwaring, an ac-
complished lady, a native of Connecticut. Their
union w.as celebrated in 1835, and for three years

584

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

tliey resided in Illinois, but believing that tije
countiy beyond the Mississippi would furnish bet
ter opportunities for a young man in his profes-
sion, the Doctor and his wife crossed tiie Father of
Waters into Iowa. He cliose Van Buren County
as the^ scene of his future labors, and they took up
their residence in a rude log cabin, but ere the fiist
season bad passed he erected a neat frame residence.

At once, after reaching Iowa, Dr. Bailey em-
barked in the practice of his profession and for a
few years did an extensive business in that line,
but his attention was then attracted toward politi-
cal questions, and laying aside his business inter-
ests, he entered actively into political life. From
1838 until 1861 he was continually serving the
people in some official caiiaeity. whereby he gained
a wide reputation and made niauj' friends among
the i)rominent citizens of the State. He represented
Van Buren County in the First General Assembly
under Territorial Government, which convened in
the Methodist Church in Burlington in 1838; he
was a member of the Territorial Council and served
as United States Marsh.al of Iowa under the admin-
istration of President Polk. He was a member of
the State Senate during the special session of 1861,
when questions of the greatest importance, attend-
ing the Civil War, came up for decision. His pub-
lic, as well as his private life is above reproach, for,
ever faithfid to the trust reposed in him, he dis-
chnrged his duties with fidelity and promi)tness,
winning the respect of all with whom he came in
contact.

In 1865 Dr. Bailey was called upon to mourn
the loss of his wife, who died in the month of Feb-
ruary. They were the parents of two children, a
son and a daughter — Augustus C, now living in
Lancaster, Mo.; and Julia, deceased wife of Har-
ris Waterman. The Doctor was again married
September 3, 1869, his second union being wiih
Ann M. Schneck, daughter of Jacob Schneck. She
was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, in 1839, and
came to this country when twentj- years of age.
Their union has been blessed with one child, Gid-
eon C. S., now a j'outh of fourteen years. The
Doctor has for some time p.ast lived a retired
life. Being now in his declining years, he is rest-
ing from the toils and labors of the past, having

acquired a competence, which releases him from
all cares. He was formerly one of the most promi-
nent and energetic citizens of Van Buren County,
and is now an honored pioneer, who yet retains his
interest in the growth and upliuilding of the countv
for which he did so mucli in earlier 3'ears.

il^^ENRY D. BLOl'GII, f.armer and breeder of
1^ fine stock, resides on section 5, Cedar
'/' Township, Jefferson County. He was born
((^) in Somerset County, Pa., July 14, 1830,
and is a son of David and Jfary (Speicher) Blough.
He is of German descent, belonging to a family
which was established in America during Colonial
days by the great-grandfather of our subject who
left the Fatherland during the early years of his
manhood to become a resident of America. He
settled in Pennsylvania and when the war broke
out between the Colonies and the mother country
he took his stand in defense of the oppressed peo-
ple and did valiant service for his adopted country.
The grandfather of Henry was born in Pennsyl-
vania and was a farmer by occupalion.

His father, David Blough, was born in Somerset
County, Pa., in 1777, and was the youngest of a
family composed of six sons and one daughter. In
his native county he married Fannie Geiman, and
unto them were also born seven children, three
sons and four daughters, viz: Elizabeth, Barbara,
Peter, John, Sarah, Fanny and Christian. After
her death he wedded Miss Speicher, who was born
iu Somerset County in 1793, and was also of Ger-
man descent. Having engaged in farming in the
Keystone State until 1836, he then removed to
Wayne County, Ohio, where both he and his wife
spent the remainder of their lives, the former dying
at the age of sixty-nine years and the latter in the
sixty-seventh jear of her age. Both were mem-
bers of the Ouiish Church and he was a supporter
of Democratic principles. By tlieir union were
born five sons, allof whom followed in the footsteps
of the father, making farming their life occupa-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

585

tion. David and Joseph follow that pursuit in
Wajne County, Ohio; Henry D. is the next
3'ounger; ISloses cnnies on carpenterinjj in connec-
tion witli farming, and Jacob devotes his energies
to tlie cultivation of the soil in Wayne County,
Ohio.

The .Irst five years of liis life Henry I). Blou^h
spent in his native State, but when a lad of some
six summers, he accrmpanied liis parents to Ohio
where lie acquired his education in an old-time log
sehoolbouse to which they gave the very inappro-
priate name of the Temple. As there were five
boys in the family they would take turns in attend-
ing school. They were mostly educated in' the
language of the Fatlierland, but our subject also
managed to acquire a fair English education. He
was but sixteen years of age when his father died
and he then began life for himself, running one of
the first JIassillon separators for several j-ears. He
also devoted his energies to farming which has
been his principal occupation through life.

A marriage ceremouj' performed on January 11,
1852, united the destinies of Henry D. Blough
and Miss Anna Baughman, whojwas burn in Wayne
County, Ohio, on the 15th of September, 1830.
Her grandfather, who was of German birth, was
the founder of the family in America, his home
being in New York. Her father was left an orphan
at a very earl^' age and sold for his raising. He be-
came a shoemaker and followed that trade both in
Pennsylvania and Wayne Count\', Ohio. In Stark
County, Oliio, ho was joined in wedlock with Anna
Gerber, a native of Somerset County, Pa., and soon
afterward they removed to Wayne County, Ohio,
where six children were born unto them.

Upon the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Blough Ihey
took up their residence in Elkhart County, Ind.,
where for three years, he engaged in farming, when
in 1855 he came to Iowa. In Davis Count}', he
purchased two hundred and forty acres of land,
added man}- improvements thereto and continued
its cultivation with good success until his removal
to Jefferson County. At one lime while operating
a threshing machine, he had the misfortune to catch
bis arm in a tumbling shaft which broke the bones
between ihe wrist and eli)0\v and prevented him
from entering the service of his country which was

tiien engaged in civil warfare. In February, 1865,
he came to Jefferson County, and soon afterward
purchased the farm upon which he j'et makes his
home. At one time he owned and operated four
hundred and twenty acres of good land but has
since deeded a one hundred and twenty-acre tract
to his son. A good dwelling, commodious barns
and all the improvements necessary to a model
farm of the nineteenth century are there found
and he takes delight in keeping everything about
his place in first-class order, but he devotes the
greater part of his attention to stock-raising. In
1874, he introduced the first imported Percheron
horse into the count}- — Granger, by name, which
he exhibited at the fairs of Van Buren, Davis, Lee,
Wa()ello and , Jefferson Counties, securing premiums
,as he went. Since that time he h.as always had on
baud some fine specimens of imported liorses. Be-
side sixteen he has im|)orted for himself, he secured
six head for other parties. He has now in his
stables seven full blooded Perclierons, six of which
he himself brought across the water. In 1886,
,again in 1887 and a third time the following year
he went to France on that liusiness. On the second
Toyage he was accompanied by his son John and
when far out at sea the ship burned with two hun-
dred and fifty passengers on board. Crew and
passengers worked hard all through the night but
were not able to quench the flames and were forced
to take to the life-boats. Late that evening, a Ger-
man vessel loaded with turpentine, took them on
board but it was not a passenger vessel and they
were coini)elled to stand on deck all night with
high waves dashing over them. In the morning a
packet took them and carried them to Queenstown,
Ireland, where they arrived after eight days, dur-
ing which time tliey had been ke|jt on half rations
as the boat was not prepared to feed so many. How-
ever they at length arrived safely, not a soul on
board the unfortunate steamer having been lost.
As before slated, Mr. Blough has liiinself made
three trips across the water and in 1889 his sons,
John D. and Eli M. went to France and made the
importations.

As a citizen, Mr. Blough is faithful to every duty
devolving upon him and vvhun called upon to aid
in the advancement of any public enterprise calcu-

586

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

lated to benefit the community he respmuls cheer-
full}' and willingl}-. In political sentiment, he is a
Democrat and he and his wife have accepted the
belief taught by the Ornish Church. A well-to-do
citizen, he is also a self-made man, for without
property or capital at the early age of sixteen years
he began life for himself and has steadily worked
his way upward to a position of affluence.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Blough have been l)orn nine
children — Simon H., a farmer of Des Moines Town-
ship; Mary A., wife of Polk Dubois, a farmer of
Fairfield Township; Elizabeth, Anna, John, Eli,
David, Melvin and Christian. The sons aid the fa-
ther in his business enterprises and like him are
advocates of Democrac}-.

-I-^^-

'OHN T. MADDIX has been engaged in the
grocery business in Birmingham since 1887.
He is a native of Holmes County, Ohio,
(i^// born October 13, 1843, his parents being
Samuel and Harriet (Guinn) Maddix. When he
was but three years old, the family came to the
Territory of Iowa, settling in the forks of the Coon
River, near Des Moines, where some two years
later the death of the father occurred. Mrs. Maddix
then removed with her family to LibertyviUe,
Jefferson County, where she yet makes her home,
having now reached the ripe old age of seventy-two
years. She has been twice married since. By the
first union there were seven children, four sons
and three daughters, and by her second marriage
a son was born.

John T. Maddix was the fourth in order of liirlh
and like the other members of the family the only
educational advantages which he received were such
as the district schools of that day afforded. As
soon as he was old enough he had to begin work
that he might provide for his own maintenance. A
lad of thirteen j'ears, he started out in life for him-
self to fight the battle with the world. He entered
a mill in Birmingham, where he was employed
until the breaking out of the war. Prompted by

patriotism and a desire to show his lo}'alty by ser-
vice in the field, though only seventeen years of age,
he enrolled his name with the members of Company
H, Third Iowa Cavalry, enlisting on the 9th of
August, 1861. Having served in Southern Missouri
until 1862, with his command he marched with the
Union troops to Arkansas and participated in the
capture of Little Rock. There having veteranized
he came home on a furlougli, at the expiration of
thirty days again joined his command at Memphis,
Tenn., following which he participated in the
battles of Guntown and Tupelo, Miss. Returning
to St. Louis, the troops were then sent out after
Price and on returning Mr. Maddix embarked on
the ill-fated boat, "Maria," which was blown up at
Carondelet. After some delay he went to Louis-
ville, Ky., where for a time he was detained by
sore eyes. He was then sent to Keokuk, where he
remained until the close of the war. He received
his discharge at Davenport, August 9. 18Gu, after
four years service.

Returning to his home, Mr. Maddix and an uncle
soon afterwards purchased a saw mill at Unionton,
Scotland County, Mo., but a year later he sold out
and was employed as a salesman at that place. It
was during his residence there that on the 28t.'i of
August, 18GG, he wedded Elizabeth Hall, a native
of Scotland County. He then embarked in mer-
chandising but giving credit too freely caused his
failure. Again he returned to his old pursuit of
milling, purchasing a mill which he operated two
years. In 1871, he returned to Iowa and for the
succeeding two years engaged in milling in Selma,
after which he came to Birmingham where he was
employed as saw^-er for three 3'ears. In company
with a gentleman he then purchased a mill and
sawed ties for the railroad. Their partnership was
at length dissolved, Mr. Maddix receiving as his
share of the business the mill which he afterwards
sold for |>1,800. In 1887, he opened the grocery
store in Birmingham which now takes rank among
the leading establishments of its kind. He is the
owner of the building and stock and has a good
trade among the best class of people. Politically.
Mr. Maddix is a Democrat and has served as city
Alderman and in other local positions. Socinlly
he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

R^

^

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

i89

Three children have been born of the union of
John T. Maddix and Elizabelli Hall, the eldest of
of whom, Alva L., is a barber of Birrainizhnni ;
Minnie L. is the next j-ounger, and Endymion C.
completes the famil}-.

^/OHN BALDWIN ARNOLD, a lea^Uug far-
mer of Union Township, Van Biiren Count}',
residing on section 3-t, was born in Fair-
field County, Ohio, January 5, 1827, his
parents being George and Rachel ( Wright) Arnold.
The family is of Hlnglish origin and was founded
in America by tiie grandfather of our subject, who
braved the dangers of an ocean voj'age, crossing
the Atlantic to America, and settled in Maryland
in Colonial days. George Arnold was born near
Frederickstown, that State, and on reaching man-
hood wedded Miss Wright who was also a native
of Maryland. Her father was a native of Ireland
but her mother's people were of Scot(^h extraction.
In an early day the parents of our subject made
them a home in Fairfleld County, Ohio. Tiiey
settled in the midst of a dense forest of maple and
beeches, but notwithstanding the difficulty of the
task a fine farm was there developed, upon which
they resided until called to the home above. lie
died at the age of eighty-five years, strong in the
faith of the Catholic Church, and she was a strong
believer in the Presbyterian doctrine, dying a
member of that church, at the age of fifty-seven
years. Their family numbered seven children but
only two are now living — Mrs. Eliza Ewing who
makes her home in Ohio and our subject.

John Baldwin Arnold was the fifth in order of
birth in his father's family. He was enrly inured
to hard labor, being reared on a new farm in the midst
of the forest, but the lessons of thrift and industry
which he learned in his j'outh were never forgotten
and have proved of incalculable benefit in later
years. On reaching his majority his father began
to pay him for his servici'S on the farm at the rate
of $9 per month, he liaving hitherto performed

the same service without compensation as the re-
turn of a dutiful son for the care which he had
received in his childliood. His first business ven-
ture was accomplished after riding five hundred
miles on horseback to Maryland, where he settled
up the business pertaining to a small estate left his
mother.

On the inth of September, 1848, Mr. Arnold
was joined in marriage with Miss Louisa Cupp,
who the same year had come to Van Buren County.
She was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, June 25,
1828, and the same j'earof his marriage Mr. Arnold
came with his father-in-law to Iowa, where he spent
one winter, l)ut having no money with which to
purchase land he returned to Ohio, where he rented
a farm some seven years. In 1855, having in the
meantime accumulated some capital, he once more
came to Van Buren Countj^ and purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of land, his present farm,
or rather a portion of it, as its boundaries have
been greatly extended by additional purchases.
Only thirty-five acres had been placed under culti-
vation but in a short time the entire quarter section
was yielding him a ready return for the labor
bestowed upon it. As opportunity offered he made
other investments in lands and at one time was tlie
owner of seven hundred acres, but a portion of this
amount he has since given to his children. Two
sons and six daughters were born unto Mr. ami
Mrs. Arnold as follows: Emma F., wife of Richard
Brewer; George W. who died in infancy; Mary
A., wife of A. Brumley; John L., a resident farmer
of ITnion Township, Van Buren County; Rachel
L. who died in infancy; Clari A., wife of Elias
Hall; Al()ha N., wife of Charks Warner; and Ada
C. who is yet with her parents.

In political sentiment Mr. Arnold is a Democrat
but not an active partisan. He would never accept
any office although tendered some positions of
honor and trust, preferring to devote his entire at-
tention to the interests of his famil}' and his busi-
ness. He has been a successful stock-raiser and
keeps on hand only the best grades. He was
perhaps the first to introduce Cotswold sheep and
Galloway cattle into the county and was the first
to make an exhibit of the same at the county fair.
For thirty-five years, Mr. Arnold has been a resi-

590

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

dent of Van Buren County, during which time he
has never so much as testified in court, which fact
shows that he has lived a peaceable and upright
life as>ell as a busy one. Though his (career has
been pre-eminently prosperous, clouds ofadversity
have sometimes shut out the sunshine of fortune.
One instance of this occurred on the 30tl) of May,
1879, when, between eleven and twelve o'clock at
night, a terrific cyclone [swept away three of his
barns, a corn crib, wagon shed, cattle sheds, one
hundred and seventy-five apple trees and several
miles of fence. It seemed to drop from the skies
for his especial discomfiture as no one else was
materially injured, whereas his loss was at least
4(2,000. Kind neighbors and friends volunteei-ed
their assistance in rebuilding the fences to protect
the crops from the stock, for which Mr. Arnold
still holds them in grateful remembrance. A^arious
causes were suggested to explain why one person
should thus be singled out as a victim. Some
thought it was because Mr. Arnold is a Universalist
in religious faith ; others, scouting an idea so foolish,
held it was a special visitation of Providence to
punish him for being a Democrat. Disastrous as
was the result it has long since been repaired.

bAWRENCE FLTNSPACH, deceased, was
born in Wurtemburg, tlermany, August 5,
1824, and died at his home in Buchanan
Township, Jeflferson County, Iowa, on the 5tli of
September, 1879. His life of fifty-five years,
although quiet and unostentatious, was a useful
and honoiable one, such as to win the confidence
and respect of those with whom be came in contact.
He grew to manhood in his native land, laboring
in his father's vineyard, and received a good edu-
cation. About 1849 he determined to seek his
fortune in the New World, and crossing the broad
Atlantic, made a location in Cincinnati, Ohio,
whence they made a trip to New Orleans, but sick-
ness in that southern clime caused him to return to

the North. Having remained in America for
some three years, he once more crossed the Atlantic
to visit the scenes of hislboyhood and his kindred
in his native land, but in 18.")5 we again find him
en route for America. This time he sought a home
further westvvard, locating in Buchanan Township,
Jefferson County, where he spent [the remainder of
his life, devoting himself to the occupation of
farming.

On the 14th of April, 18fC, Mr. Flinspach was
united in marriage with Miss Caroline Schmezer, a
native of Grosgartach, Wurtemburg, born May
26, 1834. Her people were in limited circum-
stances, and she was therefore forced to earn the
monej' to pay her passage to America, she making
the trip in 1855. Both Mr. Flinspach and his
wife were the only members of their respective
families who sought homes on this side of the At-
lantic. LTpon their marriage they settled upon an
eighty-acre farm and began life in earnest. By
the untiring efforts of the husband, supplemented
by the counsel and assistance of his good wife,
their financial resources were increased, and they
extended the boundaries of their farm until it
comprised one hundred and ninety acres. A fam-
ily of fourteen children came to bless their union,
as follows: Mary, now the wife of John Kann, a
resident of Buchanan Township; George, who died
at the age of four years; Hannah, wife of Thomas
Thompson, a resident farmer of Walnut Township,
Jefferson County ; Martin, who married Iowa Dall-
ner, and is engaged in agricultural pursuits in
Buchanan Township; Fred, who married Jane Gil-
bert, and is similarly engaged ; Anna, wife of John
Diers, a resident of Buchanan Township; Lucy,
wife of Alex Gordon, who makes his home in the
same township; Jacob, who died at the age of five
years; Albert, Minnie, Gustave, Edward, Frank
and Robert, the younger members of the family,
are still at home.

As before stated, the death of Mr. Flinspach oc-
curred on the 5th of September, 1879, from can-
cer. He was a very successful farmer, and his life
was characterized by industry, sobriety and hon-
esty. In politics he was a Democrat, and religiously
was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church.
The Flinspach family ranks among the old estab-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

591

lished families of the county and deserves lion-
orulsle mention in tliis volume. All of tbe cliildren,
from the eldest to the youngest, speaivboth English
and German, and the sons who have attained to
mature years, have followed in the footsteps of
their father and are stanch advocates of the Demo-
cracy. The mother is also a member of the Luth-
eran Church, and is a woman whose friends are
almost equal in number to her acquaintances.

R. W. FORDYCE is a prominent physician
of Glasgow, Jcflferson County, and as a repre-
sentative citizen of the county deserves men-
tion in this volume. He was born in Lee County,
Iowa, in 1848, being the eldest sou of Lewis and
Mary (Newb3') Fordyce. His father is a native
of Illinois, born in A\^abash County, about the
year 1820. In 1837, when a youth of seventeen
3'ears, he accompanied his parents to Van Buren
County, Iowa, but in Lee County married Miss
Newby, a native of Indiana, and located in that
neighborhood. Both parents are still living, their
home being in Des Moines Township, Van Buren
County. Mr. F'ordyce has been influential in local
political circles, and has twice served as a Rei)re-
sentative to the General Assembly, being elected
to a seat in the Lower House from Van Buren
County in 1852, and from Jefferson County in
1884. At the former election he was a candidate
of the Whig paity, and is now a stanch Republican
in politics.

The Doctor, who is widely known throughout
the community, spent the clavs of his boyhood and
youth in Van Buren County, where he acquired a
common-school education and was reared to farm
life. His tastes, however, lay in another direction,
and, tiring of the dull routine of farm life, he de-
termined to engage in the practice of a profession.
Having at length determined upon a life work, at
the age of twenty-one he began the study of medi-
cine with Dr. J. M. Morris, of Birmingham, Van
Buren County, and later attended lectures in the

College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Keokuk.
Having completed his course of study, he made a
location in Glasgow, where he has built up an ex-
tensive practice. However, he has never aban-
doned his studies, and like every successful prac-
titioner keeps himself well informed concerning the
science, its discoveries and imijroved methods.

A marriage ceremony performed in 1876 united
the destinies of Dr. Fordyce and Miss Miriam Foil,
daughter of David Fell, of Round Prairie Town-
shi}), and their union has been blessed with three
children — Marv, Elsie and Chester. In his social
relations the Doctor is a Mason, holding member-
ship with Glasgow Lodge, No. 60, A. F. & A. M.,
of which he is now Secretary. He has also held
nearly all the other offices in the lodge. In his
political affiliations he is a Republican, and one of
the acknowledged stalwart supporters of the part}'
principles. His wife, who is a lady of many graces
and excellencies of character, is a faithful member
of the Methodist Churcb, and in support of that
organization the Doctor is quite liberal, as he is for
the advancement of every interest or enterprise
which is calculated to benefit and upbuild the com-
munity. His practice covei'S not only Glasgow,
but extends over a wide circuit throughout the
surrounding country, which libe/al patronage is
justl3' deserved.

111^

f|OHN B.STEWART, a farmer and stock-
raiser of Buchanan Township, Jefferson
County, residing on section 14, was born in
Muskingum County, Ohio, August 21, 1845.
The family is of Irish origin. The father of our
subject, James Stewart, was a native of the Green
Isle of Erin, but when a lad of sixteen years he
bade good- by to the home of his childhood,
crossed the bropd Atlantic, and began life in the
New World. He made a location in Ohio, where he
married Miss Barton, who was also a native of Ire-
land, born February 11, 1814, and when six years
of age accompanied her parents to the Buckeye

592

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

State. Both families, unlike many of their nation-
ality, were Prolestauts. The father of our subject
was a cabinet-maker by trade, but during his resi-
dence in Iowa devoted his time and attention to
agricultural pursuits. About 1845 he came to
Jefferson County and entered one hundred and
sixty acres of timber land in Cedar Township,
after which he returned to Ohio for his family.
Some two years later he made a location in this
community and, after renting a year, bought two
hundred and thirty-four acres of land, now the
southern portion of the Manatrey farm. About
1848 he started to .i mill which was situated on the
opposite bank of Skunk River. On arriving at the
stream he tied his team and took his grist across in
a skiff. Everything went well so far, but on
Ids return to the wagon he found that one of the
butt chains was gone, and returned to the other
bank to get one. Once more he started home, but
his family never saw him again. The skiff was
afterwards found below the dam with his whip in
it, but his fate is unknown. He was a good oars-
man, and as it is unlikely that he could have met
with an accident, he probably suffered foul play.
He was in the prime of life at the time, and his loss
to his family and the community was great. He
was a Whig in politics and a member of the Union
Church. His wife, who is still living, is a Metho-
dist. In their family were four chddren, but two
of the number died in early childhood; John B.
and Anna M. alone attained to mature years. The
daughter is the wife of S. G. Gaumer, of Jefferson
County.

John B. Stewart spent his early life in the usual
manner of farmer lads, and in his youthful days
became acquainted with the hardships and priva-
tions of pioneer life, such as fall to the lot of all
frontier settlers. He received the greater part of
his education in the subscription schools common
at that day, and became tlie mainstay of the family,
especially after the mysterious disappearance of his
father. Having lived in Cedar Township until
1861, he then removed with his mother to Buch-
anan Township, where they yet reside. Their home
is situated on section 14, and the farm comprises
two hundred and seventeen acres, of which one
hundred and fifty-seven acres are arable land.

More than half of that amount was still in its
primitive condition at the time of Mr. Stewart's
settlement thereon, but he cleared and broke the
wild land, planted crops, and now has one of the
best farms in the community. Its well cultivated
fields indicatehis tlu'ift and industry, and in con-
nection with its cultivation he raises a high grade
of all kinds of stock except sheep. Mr. Stewart
casts his ballot with the Democratic party, but
takes no active part in politics, preferring to de-
vote his entire time and attention to his business
interests. The family of which he is now the only
male representative, well deserves mention in this
volume.

-^

-^jIl'NDREW STONEBRAKRR, Treasurer of
(^jiOIl Cantril, won the position which he now
holds as the result of his worthiness, abil-
iQ^J ity and the high regard in which he is

held by his fellow townsmen. He is a retired
farmer of Van Buren County, having since 1883
made his home in Cantril, where he is the owrner
of the finest residence of the vilhige. It is a tasty
and commodious two story dwelling, surrounded
by towering maples, while the beautiful lawn in the
front is adorned with many plants whose lovely
flowers and fragrance add not a little charm to
the scene. A fine bearing orchard at the rear of
his home is another of its pleasant additions.
Here surrounded bj' all the comforts which go to
make tlie life worth the living, Mr. and Mrs.
Stonebrakcr expect to spend their remaining days.

The family of which our subject is a descendant
is of German extraction and was established in
America in tlie year 1700. Tiie fatlicr of Andrew
Stonebraker was born near Hagerstown, Md., in
1765, where lie was reared to manhood. In 17;t8,
he married Lizzie Aultfather and unto them were
born three children, but the mother did not long
survive the birth of the third child. After the
death of his first wife, Mr. Stonebraker emigrated
to Ohio, where in 1815 he was united in marriage
with Barbara Barr, who was born in Pennsylvania

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

59.3

in 1785, and was a dang liter of Daniel Barr, also of
the Keystone State. That marriage was graced by
nine children, tlie fourtli in order of birtli being
our subject.

Andrew Stonebraker was born on tlie Slli of July,
1821, in Belmont County, Oliio, wliere he was
rea'ed to manhood, receiving sucli educational ad-
vantages as the common schools afforded. He was
reared to farm life and chose that occupation for
his own, and ere his removal to the West he had
become owner of one hundred acres of choice land
in Athens County, Ohio, wliich yielded him a
golden tribute for tht^ care and lalior which he be-
stowed upon it. In 1873, he left the Buckeye
State, after disposing of liis property, and came to
Van Buren County, Iowa. Upon his arrival he
purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land
and began the development of a fine farm. Many
improvements he added which greatly enhanced
the value of the laud and the vvell cultivated fields
indicated the thrift and enterprise of the owner,
but at length, having accumulated a competency
sufficient for all his wants in coming years he laid
aside business cares and in 1883, as before stated,
came to Cantril.

In August, 1844, Mr. .Stonebraker was joined in
wedlock with Susanna Keefer, the marriage being
solemnized in Ohio. The lady is a native of Bel-
mont County, that State, born in April. 1827. and a
daughter of William and Jane Keefer. Her pater-
nal grandparents, Casper and Mary Keefer, were of
German descent. Nine children have been born
of this union, seven of whom are yet living,
namely : James A., Silas A., Charles V., Sherman
T., Narcissa J., deceased wife of Louis Zimmer-
man; Mary E.,wife of Henry Moore; Alice A., wife
of Wesley Welch; Viola M., wife of Martin Saar;
and William Henry, the eldest of the family, who
was killed at the battle of Corinth, Miss., during
the war.

The father also donned the blue and marched
southward in defense of the old flag. He served
as a member of Company K, of the Sixty-Third
Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, under Capt. Mc-
Ginnis and Col. Sprague. He enlisted November,
1861, but was not actively engaged, for owing to
illness he was placed on the sick list and at length

was discharged in September, 1862, on account of
physical disability. His duties as a citizen have
ever been performed with the same loj-alty and
faithfulness as characterized his war record. He
is a man of progressive ideas and enterprising spirit
who gives support and encour.igeraent to all
worthy interests, while to the poor and need}- he is
a benefactor. In politics Mr. Stonebraker is a
Republican ; for three years he seiveri as School
Director, for a similar period was a member of the
City Council of Cantril, and in March, 1889, he
was elected to his present office, that of Treasurer.
He and his wife are faithful members of the
Christian Church of which he is an Elder, and by
all who know them are held in the highest re-
gard.

- <x-x> .

ooo

tS(^AOLONY VOLK SMITH was born in New
\j^^ York, and removed with his parents to Keo-
^ sauqua, Iowa, in 1846. Here he attended
school until his father went to the Pacific Coast,
settling in Linn County, Ore., in 1852, Volony
going with him. He continued his studies in the
schools of Oregon until the spring of 1861, when
he was appointed to a scholarship at West Point,
for which place he left Oregon bj' steamer, arriving
in New York City only to find that he had been
superseded by another appointment, caused by a
change in the administration; and the death of his
father in 1860, leaving him without an adviser, he
was thrown upon his own resources. Being now
about twenty-one years of age, he decided to enter
the United States service as a volunteer in the War
of the Rebellion. He enlisted in a New York regi-
ment, and serred until the close of the war, when he
was appointed to a position in the Freedman's Bu-
reau, in the State of Arkansas. He filled this position
for some time, was also elected County Clerk of
his countj- in Arkansas, for two or three terms, and
was elected Lieutenant-Governor of the State, on
the ticket with Clayton as Governor, at the time
of the adoption of the new Constitution of Arkan-
sas. Clayton was elected United States Senator,

594

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

but Mr. Smith failed to succeed him as Governor,
owing to some technicality in the Constitution in re-
gard to succession in office. Considerable trouble
arose over the matter, and ^'olony was compelled
to leave the Stale for safely. lie was appointed
by General Grant as Consul to the Isle of St.
Thomas, whicli position he tilled for three or four
years, after which he returned to Arkansas, and
has since resided there, filling many important
offices both in the county and State. He was mar-
ried in the State of New York about 1866 or '67.
lu politics he was in earl}- life a Democrat, but in
after 3'ears he told the writer that he was a Re-
publican b}- force of circumstances. He was a ver}'
good speaker, and was admitted to the bstr as a
lawjer wliile clerk of the courts in Arkansas.

ICHAEL B. TOBIAS is a prominent far-
mer residing on section 32, Lick Creek
Township, Van Buren County. He is now
pr.actically living a retired life, having as
the result of his labors in former years acquired a
handsome competency which now enables him to
rest from all business cares. As his friends and ac-
quaintances are many and as he is widely and far-
orably known throughout Southeastern Iowa, we
are ]ilease<l to record his sketch in this volume.

The history' of his life is as follows: He was born
in Berks County, Fa., on the 15th of December,
1807, and is the only surviving one in a family of
.seven children, whose [jarents were Christian and
Molly (Bucher) Tobias. His father was a native of
Pennsylvania, in which State he was reared to man-
hood, learning the car|)enters' and coopers' trades
in his youth. About 18(10 he wedded Miss Buclier
and aftera twenty-eight years'residence in the Key-
stone State, they emigrated westward, locating on
a farm near' Dayton, Ohio, whicli continued to be
their home until death. The wife and mother died
in 1824, and twenty days later the husband was
laid to rest by her side in the cemetery near that
[ilace. They. were active members of the Lutheran

Church, and he was a supporter of Democratic
principles.

The year in which our subject reached man's es-
tate also witnessed the emigration of his father's
family to Ohio. In Mr. Tobias' shop he learned
the cooper's trade and for four 3'6ars followed that
pursuit, after which he was employed as a farm
hand. Subsequently he rented a cooper's shop and
engaged in business for himself in that line for two
years, when he turned his attention to farming,
renting a quarter section of land. As a helpmate
on life's journey he chose Miss Sarah Good, their
wedding being celebrated November 12, 1835. She
was a native of Germantown, Ohio, born Novem-
ber G, 1817, and was left an orphan at the age of
eleven jears. Her parents died and were buried in
the same grave.

Mr. and Mrs. Tobias began their domestic life
upon a rented farm, which he continued to operate
some years when he purchased eighty acres. Pros-
pects were brightening and he felt that in a short
time he would be in comfortable circum.'tances
but aliout this time he was taken ill, his sickness
exhausted his supiil}' of moiun' and he was left in
debt. His life in Ohio was checkered by seasons of
prosperity and adversity and at length he deter-
mined to seek his fortune elsewhere. With teams he
crossed the country to Iowa in 1851, bringing with
him about six horses and some 84,000 in monc}'.
One of the old wagons in which the journey was
made is still in his possession, a memento of that
early day. He made a judicious investment of his
capital, purchasing tliree hundred and twenty acres
of land at -^12.50 per acre, which farm for twenty-
one 3'ears he made ids home. He cleared the
greater part of the land, built a fine brick residence
thereon, the finest in the township,' and erected
splendid b.arns, selling at last for •'iilO,000. In
1S72 he purchased his present home, comprising
two hundred and fourteen acres of the best farm-
ing land in the county. His residence is a tine
frame structure tastefull}' furnished, where he and
his family are surrounded by all the comforts and
many of the luxuries of life. There are also man3'
other excellent improvements, including large
barns, a blacksmith shop and other necessary build-
ings. He was also the inventor of many ingenious

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

595

devices which add to the convenience of tlie liome
and nothing neccssar}' to a model farm of the nine-
teenth century is there lacking. He has an apiary
and orchards, and small fruits of all kinds in their
season find a place mion his well-spread table. All
this stands as a monument to the thrift, enterprise
and business sagacity of the owner. Mr. Tobias is
now living a retired life, as his property and hank
account is sufficient to supply all his wants through
the remainder of his life. Besides his farm of
three hundred and sixty-nine acres he owns an ho-
tel and two lots in Doud"s .Station.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Tobias were born two chil-
dren. Elizabeth, the eldest, born in ls;37, married
Alonzo Doud, b^' whom slie had one chilcl, and for
her second husliand wedded Isaac Pence. She was
a lady of culture and refinement, well educated,
and her death, which occurred in 1872, was
mourned by many friends. William \'., the son.
was born in 1 847, reared to manhood on his father's
farm and received good educational advantages,
his early scholastic training being supplemented by
a two years' course in Birmingham College. When
twenty -one years of age he married jMiss Alice
Short and brought bis bride to the old home, that
he might operate the farm for his father. He also
ran a sawmill and in addition to those two branches
of industry is a good bi'ickl.iyer and I'lacksmith.
He is now a manager of the machine works of La-
mar, Mo., where he has made his home for the last
two years. He possesses business abilitj' of a high
order and the success which has thus far attended
him will no doubt make him a wealtliy man. By his
union with Miss Short five children have been born
— four sons and a slaughter. The removal of Will-
iam Tobias to Missouri proved a loss to this county,
for he was ranked among the leading citizens and
was a favorite with all who knew him.

Michael Tobias, whose name heads this sketch,
cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Jackson,
and has since been a supporter of Democratic prin-
ciples. He believes that his wealth has been given
him, not to store away in miserly fashion but for
his profit and enjoyment, and to this end he has
spent considerable time in traveling. Accompan-
ied by his wife he visited the Centennial at Phila-
delphia in 1876, was present at the New Orleans

Exposition, and during the .St. Louis Exposition of
188.5 had the pleasure of seeing President Cleve-
land and his wife and shaking hands with Vice
President Hendricks, tie has also visited Canada
and many other points of interest in this country.

HOMA.S ANSON, who resides on section 20,
////-/SS, Henry Township, dates his residence in Van
^Vcsl^ Buren County from 18:35, therefore for
fifty-live consecutive years his history has been
connected with that of the community. Most of
his friends and neighbors of that early daj' have
passed away, he being one of the few left to tell the
story of life in Iowa when the State was situated on
the extreme western frontier. The story of those
pioneer days was one of great interest and we re-
gret that we cannot enter more elaborately into
details, but as we proceed to give a history of his
life we will doubtless mention facts which are new
to our younger readers.

Thomas Anson was born in Pike County, Mo.,
.Iul>- 24, 1826. Little is known concerning the
early history of the familj' except that it was estab-
lished in America during Colonial days. His fa-
ther, Henry Anson, was born in Maryland, there
Sjient the days of his bo3'hood and youth and on
attaining to years of maturity wedded Elizabeth
Paralee, also a native of that State. About 1820,
they removed with their family to Kentucky but
four years later resumed their westvvard journey
and made a location in Pike County, Mo., where
Mr. Anson opened up a farm, clearing and devel-
oping the wild land. Again in 1835 a change of
residence occurred. The preceding year he came
to Van Buren County, Iowa, and laid a claim, after
which he brought his family to their new home and
from that time until his death he was numbered
among the leading citizens of the county'. He took
an active part in political affairs and was interested
in all that pertained to the welfare and upbuilding
of the community. On the 15th of April, 1850, at
the ripe old age of seventy-seven years, he was

596

PORTRAIT AND BIoaRAPIlJCAL ALP.t'M.

called to his final rest. His wife preceded hiiii Lu
their final home, dying in 184G. They had a large
family numbering twelve children but only four are
now jiving. Peter dieil in La Fayette County,
]\Io.. leaving a family; Keziah died in California in
1887-; Catherine, wife of Isaac Rigsby, died at her
home in Henry Township, in June, 1887 ; Henry
died in Lick Creek Township, in 1882; George
makes his home in California; Eliza resides <vith
her brother Thomas; Flarious died in California in
1889; Christiana died in Van Buren County, in
1883; Thomas is the next in order of birth ; and
William is married and living in Henry Township.
BIr. Anson, whose name heads this sketch, was a
lul of nine summers when he accompanied his par-
ents to Van Buren County. Iowa then formed a
part of the Territory of Wisconsin. He has there-
fore resided in the Territory of Wisconsin and the
Territory and State of Iowa, j'et all the time his
home has been within the borders of Van Buren
County. The companions of his childhood he
found among the Indian ))oys and being thus
thrown frequently into their company he learned
tiieir language. On man}' of their hunting expedi-
tions he accompanied them, for friendly were the
relations between the white and red races at that
day. In the subscription schools he acquired his
education and necessarily his advantages were quite
limited, but in a great measure experience and ob-
servation have overcome the difficulties arising
therefrom and he is now well informed on all mat-
ters of general interest. He assisted his father in
the arduous task of developing a farm, following
the oxen day after day in breaking prairie. When
only seventeen years of age he began life for him-
self. In company with his brother William, he
purchased four hundred and thirty acres of par
tially improved land wliich they placed under culti-
vation and thereby reaped a golden reward for
their efforts. Although he has met with some
obstacles and difficulties he has generall}' traveled
the road of success and is now the owner of eio-ht
humlred and seventeen acres of land individually,
and half owner in a one hundred and eighty-four
and a half acre tract. The former amount is under
a good state of cultivation or in i)asturage. With-
out interruption save about three years spent on

the Pacific Slope, 11 r. Anjou has resided in ^'an
Buren County, since 1835. It was during the gold
excitement in California that in 1850 he crossed
the plains with an ox-team to that State, reaching
his destination after three months of travel. He
gave his attention to mining for some three years
and in t!ie spring of 1853 returned by way of the
Isthmus of Panama and New York City. Once
more resuming the occupation of farming he has
since devoted himself exclusively to that pursuit
and to stock-raising. A truly self-made man, he
deserves no little credit for his success. On reach-
ing California he had but thirtj'-five cents in his
pocket but on his return his exchequer was in
somewhat better condition. In the j-ears which
have followed he has gained a handsome property,
yet has been liberal with his means for the ad-
vancement of all enterpiises calculated to benefit
the town or county. For a quarter of a centurj*
he h,as served on the School Board and to him in
no small degree is due the excellence of the school
system in this community. In political sentiment,
he is a Republican and a stalwart supporter of the
party principles.

-■»Tr-t —

-i3si!^^»

ON. GEORGE W. BALL, who resides on a
jl pleasant farm situated on section 19, Fair-
field Township, adjacent to the city limits
(^^ of P'airfield, is the present representative
from his district in the State Legislature and is
numbered among the early settlers of the com-
munity dating his residence in Jefferson County
from 1854, when a lad of six summers, he accom-
panied his parents to Fairfield. He was born on
the Gth of Marcli, 1848, in Hancock County, W.
Va., and is a son of Joseph and Margaret (Longfitt)
Ball. He received his education in what was
known as the Fairfield University and was reared
to farm life, becoming familiar with the ways and
methods of operating a farm by assisting his father
in tiie management of the homestead.

On the 31st of October, 1872, Mr. Ball was

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

.597

united in marriage with Miss Masigie Laugblin,
(laugliter of Harvey and Mary Laugblin. who were
early settlers in Jefferson County. Their home was
originally in Tennessee, whence they renioved to
Illinois, a'ld in 1810 they settled in this community,
wliere the death of the fathe>' occurred in 1887.
His wife still survives him. Mrs. Ball was born in
Locust (irove Township, and by her marriage be-
came the mother of five children yet living, four
sons and a daughter — Charles F., the eldest, was
horn May 20, 1874; .Joseph L., July G, 1878;
Harry I., November .5, 1880; Nellie B.. M.ay 17,
1S84; and William N., September 2.5, 1886. They
also lost one child, the second, Harry L., who was
born May 31, 1870, and died February 15, 1883.
Mr. and Mrs. Ball are menibers of the Christian
Church, and in politics he is a Republican. In the
fall of 1 877 he was elected by his party to represent
bis district in the .State Legislature, and in the
autumn of I8S9 he was re-elected to the same po-
sition— a fact which indicates his fidelity and
ability during his Hrst terra. His course during the
present term has also elicited the praise of his con-
stituents, and he has proved a useful member of the
Iowa Legislature. His business is that of farming
and stock-raising, and he owns four hundred acres
of valuable land in Fairfield Township. He raises
only the l)est grades of stock, and has been quite
successful in this branch of business. His public
and private life are alike above reproach. He is
an unassuming man of quiet dignity whose upright
course has won him the confidence and esteem of
all who know him.

-4^"-^-^-

AMI'EL A. CUMMING.S, who is engaged
in farming en section 33, Buchanan Town-
ship, has been a resident of Jefferson
County for forty-seven years, during which
time he has identified himself with its best interests
and aided not a little in its advancement and
progress, especially in transforming the wild land
into tracts of rich fertility. He was born in Rock-

bridge County, Va., December 16, 1830, his parents
being William and Sarah (Cunningham) Cuni-
mings, who lived many years in the Old Dominion
where the husband and father followed the carpen-
ter's traile. Al)Out 1833, he started for the West,
making a location in Parke County, Ind., where he
engaged in farming some ten j-ears and in 1843
loading his household effects into a wagon drawn
b}' two yoke of oxen he left for the land V)eyond the
Mississippi. After some twent^y-three d.ays of travel
he arrived in Jefferson County in October, 1843.
The famil_y spent the winter in a little cabin and the
following spring commenced preparations for mak-
ing a home. Mr. Cummings planted a crop two
miles north of Fairfield but had done little else
toward develoi)ing a farm when he was called to his
final rest, dying on the 4th of September, 1844, at
the age of fifty-eight years. In the spring of 1846,
his widow and children purchased a claim of one
hundred and fifteen acres on section 33, Buchanan
Township. Mrs. Cummings ever remained true to
his memory and died on the 5th of Seiitember,
1884, having lived a widow for forty years. Thev
were parents of eight children, four sons and four
daughters, and with the exception of the eldest
none have been taken away and the youngest is
now fifty-eight years of age. The parents were
members of the Presbyterian Church and their
deaths proved a loss to the entire community'.

The early life of our subject passed uneventfully.
He attended the subscri|)tion schools for a short
time but during his youth remained mostly at home
caring for his mother and his sister's children, so
that he had the care of a family long before he had
one of his own. When the war broke out he felt the
greatest desire to enter the service but he could not
be spared as the members of the family needed his
services. On the 8th of .September, 1864, he led
to the marriage altar Miss Maria J. Case, the wed-
ding being celebrated in Fairfield. The iad3' was
born in Ohio, January 7, 1838, and during her
girlhood accompanied her parents to Jefferson
County. Four children were born of their union
— William F., Fannie M., George H. and Charles
C. The mother of this famil}' died on the 1st of
July, 1879, within ten minutes after being taken
with congestion of the lungs. She was a most

598

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

estimahle lad}-, a member of the Methodist Chuicli
and had the love and respect of the entire
community. Mr. Cumming?, for some thirty
years has been connected witli the Presbyterian
Church in Fairfield and in all possible ways has
aided in its advancement. He cast his first Pres-
idential vote for the Wliig candidate in 1852, and
since the organization of the Republican party has
been one of its supporters. On the 1st day of Jan-
uary, 1890, he entered upon the duties of the office
of Township Trustee and is proving an elHcient
and capable officer. As a farmer he is practical,
yet enterprising and progressive and bis home
farm, comprising one liundred and fifteen acres, is
well provided with good buildings and all neces-
sary improvements. He also owns a controlling
interest in a one hundred and sixty acre farm in
Dallas County, Mo. He has now made iiis home
in Jefferson County for the long period of forty-
seven years and is accounted one of its most
worthy and upriglit citizens.

:-#-:^#"--— «-

\1|0HN D. ELBERT, who was one of the hon-
ored and prominent citizens of Van Buren
County, was born on the 16th of May, 1806,
j in Fleming County, Kj'., butwhen a lad of six
.summers removed with his parents to Ohio in 1812.
The famil}' first located in Urbana, Champaign
County, but afterward removed to Logan County,
vvhirc. having attained to mature years, Mr. Elbert
was united in marriage May 21, 1829, with Miss
Achsa Mitt, daughter of Rev. Samuel and Nancy
Ilitt, of Trliana. Having fitted himself for the
medical profession, in the same year lie was licensed
to practice bj' Dr. Drake, of the Cincinnati Medical
College. He received diplomas from the Missouri
]\Iedical College at St. Louis and the University of
Pennsylvania. He was a skiilid pliysician who
stood at the head of liis profession in .Southeastern
Iowa. The autumn of 1840 witnessed his arrival
in this State. He purchased a farm of one thousand

two hundred acres on Indian Prairie, Van Burea
Count}-, where he lived until his death. A man of
superior ability, he at once took prominence among
his fellow citizens, and in 1842 was elected a mem-
ber of the Territorial Legislature, and was chosen
President of the Council. His life was a useful one,
devoted U> the interests of humanity, and by all
who knew him he was held in the highest regard.
He died of erysipelas at the home of Hon. Edward
Manning, in Keosauqua, March 20, 1865, at the age
of fifty-eight years, ten months and four days, and
his remains were interred in the Keosauqua ceme-
tery. His widow still survives him and makes her
home witli Judge and Mrs. Tovvnsend, of Albia,
Iowa. She was born October 16, 1 808, near Xenia,
Ohio, and lias entered upon her eighty-third year.
She has four children, eleven grandchildren and
four great-grandchildren.

A family of ten cliildren was boin unto Dr. and
Mrs. Elbert, of whom four are yet living — Annie
C, who was born February 9, 1830, in Logan
County, Ohio, graduated from the Wesleyan Col-
lege, of Cincinnati, in 1862, and is now the wife of
Judge J. S. Townsend, of Albia. Iowa; Rebecca
H., born May 21, 1831, in Logan County, Ohio,
is the wife of R. M. Clarke, Beatrice, Neb.;
Samuel H., born in Logan Count}', April 3, 1833,
lives in Denver, Col.; John E. died in infancy;
Leroy S., born in Logan County, December 4,
1837, died in 1863, and was buried in the
Keosauqua cemetery; Achsa E., born in Iowa,
died in infancy; Ben. F., born in Van Buren
County, May 8, 1844, was a student in the College
of Evanston during the late war, and wishing to
enter the service, and being not yet of age, he ran
away, enlisted and served several months in Ken-
tucky. He has been a successful banker and stock-
raiser, and is now living in Des Moines; Daniel
Clarke, born January 22, 1847, in Van Buren
County, died May 26, 1868, while a member of the
junior class of the Northwestern University, of
Evanston, III.; George F., born October 20, 1849,
was a student in Douglas University, of Chicago,
after w-hich he spent a year in Europe, but his
health failing him, he returned to this country and
located in Denver, Col., where he died November
1 7, 1 87 1 ; Charles Wilber, who completes the family,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

5i)9

was born August 14, 1852, in \':in Linen County,
acquired iiis education in the Ohio Wesleyan Uni-
versity nml died May 27, 1870. Leroy. Daniel and
Wilber are buried beside tlieir father in tlie Keo-
sauqua cemetery.

^D. II. ROCKWELL, one of the editors and
pi'oprietors of the Farminglon Herald., was
born in Huntington Count}', Ind., February
6, 185G, being the second of three children, whose
parents were Dr. William and Hester (Bunnell)
Rockwell. The Doctor was a native of Hartford,
Conn., and a son of Horace Rockwell, so favorably
known as a painter of portraits and landscapes,
who.50 productions have found tiieir way into the
best art galleries, both at home and abroad. The
artist lived to a ripe old age and died in Hunting-
ton County, Ind., whither he liad emigrated with
his family some time before. The Dot-tor followed
his profession in the Hoosier State until the break-
ing out of the war, when he enlisted and was made
Assistant Surgeon of the Eleventh Indiana Infantry
uniler command of Gen. Lew Wallace. After serv-
ing some thiee years he returned and resumed the
practice of medicine. At Ft. Wayne, Ind., he mar-
ried Miss Bunnell, a native of Syracuse, N. Y., and
a sister of Mrs. Lizzie B. Reed, who for six years
was President of the Iowa Woman's State Suffrage
Society, and who is widely known as a public lec-
turer. In 1867 Dr. Rockvvell removed to Harrison
Countv, Iowa, where he continued practice; he had,
however, gone there two years before. Subse-
quently he journeyed westward to Richardson
County, Neb. For a second wife he chose Mary E.
Chase, with whom he rejnoved to Decatur County,
Kan , where he spent his last days. He was a stanch
Republican but both of his sons are supporters of
Democracy. The fainily. .as above stated, numbers
three children: Mrs. Hattie E. Tomiinson; Ed IL,
of tins sketch, and F. W., who is represented else-
where in this work.

The subject of tliis biographical notice, after

pursuing a course in the]Little Sioux pulilic schools
began life on his own account. After farming for
a couple of years he went to Des Moines, Iowa,
where he was emi)loyed as salesman by the firm of
Randall & Dickey, dealers in implements, after
which he entered the freight] department of the
Rock Island Railroad Comjiany. We next find him
running a hotel in Voltaire, Sherman County, Kan.,
and in 1887 he came to Farmington and joined his
brother in business, the publicsttion of tlie Farm-
ington Hfirakl.

At Fall City, Neb., on the 15th of April. 1879,
Mr. Rockwell was joined in wedlock with Miss
Maggie E. Peters, daughter of Fulton; Peters, a na-
tive of Germany. Her mother, Euphrasia Bnrada
Peters, was born in Genevieve, Mo., and her mother
was a French lady.;;^IIer father w.asjione other than
the celebrated Antonoine Barada, who lifted witli
his hands the] stone tliat serves, as a step to the
United States Arsenal at St. Louis. The weight of
the stone sixteen hundred pounds, the date of the
feat and his name aie thereon engraved. That is
the heaviest bare handed lift on record. To Mr.
and Mrs. Rockwell were born two children — Rena
E. and Walter ¥.

'• « N-

%R. ELDRIDGE SHARP EDWARDS, of

Milton, was horn near Bloomfield, Sullivan
County, Tenn., April IG, 1839, and is a son
of O. M. and Amanda Theresa (Longacre) Ed-
wards, who were also born in the same locality.
His father, born in 1806, was of English and Welsh
descent and belonged to an old Virginian family
which was founded in America during Colonial
days. His mother, whose maiden name w.as Siiarp,
was born in 1807, and was of English lineage. Her
death occurred in Tennessee in 1843, and some
eleven years later Mr. Edwards came to Iowa, lo-
cating near Drakeville, Davis County, where he
engaged in farming until his death in 1872.

The sultject of this sketch remained in Davis
(Jounty until 1862. He acquired his literary cdu-

600

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

cation in the common schools and at the age of
nineteen began the slurty of medicine. He began
practice some four years later and from Wapello
County, where he first located, removed to Milton.
In 1871 he returned to Drakeville, where he con-
tinued practice until 1887, which year witnessed
his arrival at this place. He attended lectures in the
Keokuk Medical College in the winter of 1884-85,
but did not graduate.

On the 6th of August, 1874, in Drakeville, Dr.
Eldwards w-as united in marriage with Miss Mattie
Brown, a native of Hendricks County, Ind. Unto
them have been born six children, three sons and
three daughters, but two are now deceased — Clyde,
who died at the age of one year; and Charles, who
died when eight years of age., The living are
Prince, Mary Jessie, Funnie and Nellie. The Doc-
tor and his wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church and are widely and favorably
known in the community. In politics he is a sup-
porter of Democratic principles and socially is an
C)dd Fellow and Mason. He has a good practice
and is one of the representative citizens of the
ci-nimunity.

ROSTER ANDERSON, living on section 12
|\ Lick Creek Township, Van Buren County,
[^ is a pioneer of 1845. He was born in
Somerset County, Pa., October 15, 1825, his par-
ents being Stoddard M. and Ellen (Johnson) An-
derson. His father was a native of Ireland, who
during the years of his young manhood crossed
the Atlantic to America, and in Pennsylvania mar-
ried Miss Johnson, who was descended from good
old Revolutionary stock. He was a mechanic b_v
trade, and an expert workman. For many years
he did business in Pennsylvania, and in 1831 re-
moved to Holmes County, Ohio, where his death
occurred in 1862. His wife survived him some
years, and died near Birmingham, Iowa. There
were nine children in their family, as follow.s:
Jane, now deceased; James, also deceased; Mar-

garet, Nancy, John, Francis, Abigail, Elizabeth and
Foster. John, Elizabeth and Foster, are residents
of this community. Mr. Anderson was a member
of the Methodist Church, also belonged to the
Masonic fraternity, and was a supporter of the
Whig party until the rise of the Republican party,
when he identified himself with that organization.
The first six years of his life our subject spent
in Pennsylvania, and from that time until seven-
teen j^ears of age he lived upon his father's farm
in Ohio, during which time he attended the com-
mon schools for about three months in the 3'ear,
which constituted his entire educational privileges.
He then served an apprenticeship of two 3'ears to
the carpenter's trade, and in 1845, at the age of
twenty, he made his way westward to Van Buren
County, in the Territory of Iowa. He chose Bir-
mingham as the scene of his future labors, and
then announced that he was ready to receive any
pationage which the public was willing to accord
him. Being an expert workman, his services were
soon in great demand as emigrants began lo pour
in quite rapidly, and homes must be built for their
accommodation. For a quarter of a century he
followed carpentering with good success, and se-
cured a competency which now enables him to live a
retired life.

Mr. Anderson has ever been a leading citizen of
the community, and one who has never shirked his
duty, but with commendable interest has done all
in his power for the advancement of Van Buren
County's best interests. He has taken an active part
in political affairs, and his opinions carry weight
with them in the local conventions of his party.
He cast his first Presidential vote for Franklin
Pierce, but in 1856 he supported the first Repuiili-
can candidate, and has been a zealous [)arcisaii of
Republican principles since.

In 1849 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage
with Miss Mary Ann Hardesty, and unto them were
born nine children, as follows: W. W., a resident
of Kansas; Flora E., wife of W. F. Hackney, of
Kansas; Oscar and Annetta, who are living in the
same State; James W. and Katie; Henrietta, wife
of J. D. Albert, of Birmingham; Jennie, wife of
George G. Walker, and Belle, who is living in
Boise City, Idaho. The mother of this family died

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

601

in ISTSj and IMr. Anderson wedded Ilerena Keteh-
eni. Tlieir union has been jiraced by one child,
Harry F., now a lad of ten years. Mr. Anderson
and his family have a [jleasant home conveniently
situated about one mile from Birmingham.

•■5»3>« ^3»^

>^5«f-»'^*«:^-

ORTIMER D. BAXTER, photograplier.
proprietor of the only gallery in Milton,
established business here in 1876, and has
carried it on continuously since, covering
a period of fourteen consecutive years. Mr. Bax-
ter was born in Union County, Ohio, January 4,
18-14, and is the son of Benjamin D. and Lucinda
(Harrington) Baxter. His father was born in the
State of New York in 1811, wasof English descent,
and died in August, 1844, when our subject was a
babe of a few months. The mother was a native
of Vermont, born in 1819. Some j'ears after the
death of Mr. Iiaxtor, she married Daniel Kent, and
in 1851, with her family emigrated to Iowa, and
settled in Van Burcn County.

Mortimer D., who came to Iowa with his mother,
attended school at Keosauqua, and in 1864 began
studying photogra|ihy in that place. On account
of sore eyes he spent a year on the farm, and then
traveled with a car photographing. About 1868
he established a gallery in Milton. From 1871
until 1878 he devoted himself to the grocery trade;
since 1878 has devoted his attention exclusivel3f
to photography. Mr. Baxter is a Republican in
politics, and in 1872 was appointed Postmaster at
Milton, under the administration of President
Grant, serving until 1877. In 1886 he was elected
Mayor of Milton, and served one term in that
office.

Mr. Baxter has been twice married. His first
wife was Miss Miranda Cooley, and their union was
celebrated in Milton in 1868. The lady was a
daughter of F'ountain Cooley, and was born in
Davis Connt_v, Iowa. Her death occurred on the
27th of Decemlier, 1877, and Mr. Baxter was again
married on the 17th of February, 1880, his second

marriage taking place in Bloomfield, Davis Count}-,
where he led to the hymeneal altar Miss Emma
Rosebrough, daughter of James H. Rosebrough.
She is a native of Davis County, where her
neople were early settlers. F'our children have
been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, three
sons and a daughter — Eugene Mortimei-, Novem-
ber 21, 1881; Iowa M., October 3, 1883; Neal Dow,
July 18, 1885; and Rex R., November 21, 1887.
All were born in Milton.

Mr. and Mrs. Baxter are members of the Metho-
dist Protestant Chur(;h, in which he lias been Class
Leader and Steward for many years. He is also an
active worker in the cause of temperance, and is
considered a leader in all advanced ideas in moral
culture. He is a member of Jackson Lodge, No.
28, K. P., having been actively identified with that
order since 1881. In his business life he has jjros-
pered and his gallery has won popularity. As an
official he won commendation and the respect of
all concerned. With the exception of a very brief
interval Mr. Baxter has now been a resident of
Milton for a quarter of a century, and is widely
and favorably known to the citizens of Van Buren
and adjoining counties.

-^»t^.»-J»2^J£^^^^;tf^*.^S<f-,

OSEPH RICKSHER, wholesale dealer in
butter and eggs, of Fairfield, Iowa, estab-
lished business in that city in 1871, and his
house has now gained a wide reputation,
being one of the leading enterprises of Jefferson
County. The proprietor is a native of Prussia, his
birth having occurred near Paderborn, Februar}'
1 7, 1 843, and a son of John and Catherine (Moener)
Ricksber. His mother died when he was but a
chill), and in 1854, in company with his father he
crossed the broad Atlantic to America. On landing
on the shores of the New AVorld they came directl}'
to Iowa, settling in Lee County. Joseph was edu-
cated in the common schools, and in August, 1862,
when a lad of nineteen summers, enlisted for the
late war as a member of Company I, Thirtieth

602

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Iowa Inf.antiy, and s^erveil nearly three yeai'S. He
was a non-commissioned officer and witli his regi-
ment participated in the battle of Gaines Bluff,
Arkansas Post, tlie siege of Vicksburg and the At-
lanta campaign, including the celebrated March to
the Sea under Sherman. At the close of the war he
took part in the Grand Review in Washington, and
was mustered out of the service in June, 1865.

Soon after his return from the South, in 1866,
Mr. Rieksher embarked in his present line of busi-
ness in a small way, his location being Ft.
Madison, and by good management he increased
his trade until he was the recipient of a handsome
income from an extensive business. In 1871 he
came to Fairfield, where he has since continued
operations in the same line with marked success, and
with increased resources he extended his business.
In 1882 he established a branch house in Brighton,
AVashington County, with T. L. F^mry as partner,
uiider the firm name of Rieksher & Emry, wholesale
dealers in butter and eggs, and proprietors of the
Brighton Creamery. The annual business of the
Fairfield house is $150,000 and that of the Brighton
establishment is about the same, giving a total of
$300,000. In addition to the business already
mentioned our subject is half owner of a line farm
of five hundred and ninety-three acres situated in
Fairfield Township.

On the 11th of September, 1878, a marriage cere-
mony performed in Centerville, Appanoose County,
Iowa, united the destinies of Joseph Rieksher and
Mrs. Caroline Carpenter, widow of Richard Car-
penter and a daughter of George and Elizabeth
Cline. Her father was born in Pennsylvania and
her mother in Ohio. She is also a native of the
Buckeye State and is a member of the Congrega-
tional Church. Their union has been blessed with
four children, sons, all born in Fairfield, namely:
Charles, born October 9, 1879; William, December
5, 1881; Frank, May 20, 1884; and Theodore, Sep-
tember 21, 1886.

Mr. Rieksher is a Republican in politics, but has
never sought or desired the honor of emoluments
of public office, preferring to devote his undivided
attention to the legitimate pursuit of business. He
is a man possessed of superior executive and busi-
ness ability, enterprising yet conservative, always

guided by correct business principles and strict in-
tegrity. He has been the architect of his own for-
tune, and his success in life has been the result of
his own unaided efforts.

,s-JC%L^e

j^^^ AMUEL BOON, a farmer and plasterer, has
^fe^ long been numbered among the leading
llL/ ))) citizens of Van Buren County. A friend
to her best interests he has done not a
little for her advancement and progress and his
many friends will be glad to see his sketch in the
county's history.

His grandfather, Thomas Boon, at the age of sev-
enteen j'ears, left the Emerald Isle, his native land,
and sailed for America. On reaching this country
he was sold to a man in Philadelphia to pay his
passage. He became a mechanic and engaged also
in farming, following the dual occupation in the
Keystone State,where he married Margaret Dunlap,a
lad}' of Scotch descent. Their son, George W. Boon,
was born in 1777, grew to manhood in Pennsyl-
vania and learned the cooper's trade. On account
of his father marrying again he was thrown upon
his own resources at the tender age of twelve
years and from that time fought life's battle un-
aided. About 1800, in Westmoreland Count}-,
Pa., he wedded Nancy Hutchinson and eleven
years later they emigrated to Ohio, locating in the
wilderness. They had to live in block houses to
protect them from the Indians who were far more
numerous at the time than the white settlers. No
roads had been made through the forests and the
work of civilization had just begun. Amid such
surroundings our subject was reared to manhood.
In the family were fifteen children, seven sons and
eight daughters, but only three sons and one
daughter are now living. The father died in De-
cember, 1857, and the mother passed away ten
3'ears previously. They lived consistent Christian
lives and were members of what is now the Lnited
Presbyterian Church.

Reared amid the wild scenes of pioueer life in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

G03

Ohio, the educational advantages which Samuel
Boon received in his j'outK were necessarily limited,
but ^possessing an observing eye and retentive
memory he has by subsequent reading and observ-
ation made himself a well informed man. lie was
born in Wayne County, Ohio, October IS), 1820,
and after he^had reached his twenty-first year he
learned the blacksmith's trade which continued to
be his occupation for a quarter of a century. In
March, 1845, he led to the marriage altar Miss
Sarah Crawford and then brought his bride to Iowa
where, in Birmingham, in company with bis brother
he followed blacksmithing with good success for
sixteen years. Accumulating capital through his
industry and good management he ma,de an invest-
ment in one hundred and fifty iicres of land which
has been his home for twenty j-ears and in connec-
tion with the cultivation of that farm he has devoted
his energies to the plasterer's trade. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Boon were born three children — Rebecca, now
living in Ashland County; Edith L., wife of
Francis Harlan, a niercliant of Stockport; and Rob-
ert L., now a practicing physician of Bentonsport.
When only fifteen 3-ears of age he entered thearaiy
as a member of the Third Iowa Regiment. He grad-
uated from the Rusk Medical College, of Chicago
and has won for himself an honored place in the
ranks of the medical fraternity.

Mrs. Boon died in 1856 and in M.ay, 1858, Mr.
Boon wedded Hepsibel Gould, by whom lie had one
son and three daughters — Anna M., at home ;
Marg-aret II., wife of Warren Cunninsham,'a resi-
dent farmer of Union Township, Van Buren
County; Ada B., at home; and William Ross, who
married Irena Cunningham and is farming near his
old home. The children have l)een liberally edu-
cated and have all followed teaching. The parents
are members of the United Presbyterian Church in
which he serves as Deacon. In political sentiment
he was first a Democrat but later became a Free-
soiler and voted for John P. Hale. He was a del-
egate to the convention of Abolitionists in Keo-
sauquain 1848, which was twice mobbed but which
nevertheless performed its work successfully. He
then became a Republican and voted with that
party until the campaign of 1880. when he sup-
ported the Prohibitionists, with which lie has since

l)een conjiected. He carried the Prohibition stand-
ard as candidate for [the Legislature in" 1887 and
made a strong canvass of the county, during winch
he challenged the opposing candidates to a dis-
cussion but both ^refused. Mr. P>oon served ac-
ce[)tably in the office of Justice of the Peace for
eight 3'ears. He has been a citizen of the county
for forty-five years and a sup[iorter of all its best
interests.

►— 3'w»

\I/ - ^ ON. S. H. ELBERT, who served ,as Chief
*■ Justice of Iowa, is a citizen in whom the
people of Van Buren County feel a deep
''^' interest for he was reared in their midst
and is known personally- to many of them. The
Judge was born in Ohio, in 1833, and received lib-
eral educational advantages, graduating from the
Ohio University. In looking about him for a busi-
ness which he desired to make his life work his
choice fell upon the legal profession and he fitted
himself for the practice of law by a thorough
course of study in Dayton, Ohio. He entered upon
his life work in Nebraska and had been a resident
of that State but a short time until the people rec-
ognizing his superior ability and fitness for leader-
ship made him a member of the Legislative Council
of the Territory in 1860. In April, 1862, ho was
appointed Secretary of Colorado Territory, which
position he occupied for four years. On the expira-
-tion of that time he retired to private life and re-
sumed the practice of the law, but it was not long
before he was again called to public duty, beincr
appointed Governor of the Territory in 1873. The
following year he went to Europe and on his return
in 1875 was elected to the Supreme Bench. This
election as Chief Justice of Colorado was the high-
est tribute that could have been paid to any man,
and as one of the papers said of him, "during the
six years of his service ho won high opinions be-
cause of his rigid regard for the dignity of the
court." Later he was again called to the same office
and with the same fidelity and faithfulness dis-
charged his duty for several years, but at lenfth

604

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

resigned on account of failing health. In oi-rler to
recuperate he made a trip to Europe, where he spent
some time visiting the countries of the East, return-
ing in the spring of 1890.

On the 21st of June, 1865, Judge Elbert was
united in marriage with Miss Josephine Evans,
daughter of George ilvans, of Denver. After a
short married life of three years her death occurred
and with their onl}' child her remains were laid
awaj- in the cemetery of Denver.

In speaking of the character of J udge Elbert we
cannot do better than quote from a sketch .• ritten
of him in 1882. It said: "For Judge Elbert, as a
man, we have the warmest admiration; but he is
no politician and the honors conferred upon him
have been the result of respect for his character
rather than the outcome of political work. It is
for this reason, doubtless, that he is less known
personally throughout the State than others of our
prominent men. He has the regard of the bar and
in the fellowship of friends there is no more genial
companion than he. A man of a strong character
and of the most sterling integrity', he has, on the
Supreme Bench, fulfilled the duties to the satisfac-
tion of the entire State. The reserve that has
cliaracterized him has caused him to be frequently
misunderstood among those who met him liut casu-
ally; but an hour spent with him in social chat soon
removes this feeling of reserve. He is a good story-
teller and joins heartily in a laugh — two qualities
which are the best proof of fine fellow.\,hip."

ON. JOHN W. CARR, a farmer and banker,
who for the past thirty years has been a
resident of IMilton, Van Buren County, was
born near Columlius, in Franklin County,
Ohio, on the 14th of November, 1836. His par-
ents were Jonathan and Margaret Jane( Weathering-
ton) Carr. The father was born in Virginia in 1 810,
was a farmer by occupation, and settled in Franklin
County. Ohio, in early life. The mother was born
near Columbus, in 1813, and was the daughter of

John and Sarah Weatherington, who were natives
of Virginia. In 1844 .John W. Carr removed with
his parents to Madison Counlj-, 111., where his
father died the year following. Soon after her
husband's death Mrs. Carr returned to her former
home in Ohio. John W. attended school in his
native .State until the spring of 1853 when, with
his mother, he emigrated to Iowa, settling on a
farm situated three miles to the northward of the
city of Milton, in the township of Jackson, Van
Buren Count}'. He at once engaged in farming
and in making a home for his mother. The fol-
lowing winter he attended the Troy Academy for
one term and fitted himself for teaching, after
which, for several successive years, he was em-
ployed on the farm during the working seasons
and in teaching school during the winter months.
At length, having secured a cash capital of $350,
he embarked \\\ merchandising in Milton in com-
pany with George Smith, under the firm name of
Smith & Carr. In 1862 Robert Russell was ad-
mitted to partnership, and in 1864 Mr. Smith sold
out to his partners. The business was conducted
by Messrs. Carr and Russell until 18G7, when Mr.
Carr became sole proprietor, and from that time
carried on operations alone until January, 1875,
when his father-in-lavv, Joseph Moore, purchased
an interest in the business, and the connection con-
tinued until March, 1882, when Mr. Carr sold out
and turned his attention to his extensive farming
property which he had graduallj' acquired while
merchandising. His farms, which aggregate twelve
hundred acres, lie principally in Jackson Township,
Van Buren County, while a portion of his land is
situated in Roscoe Township adjoining, just across
the line in Davis County.

Ill Van Buren County, on the 27th of December,
1860, Mr. Carr was married to Miss Henrietta
Moore, daughter of Joseph and Lucy Moore, of
Chequest Township, this county. The lady was
born in Franklin County, Ohio, July 21, 1840, and
came to Van Buren Count}' with her parents in
1842. On the 5th of October, 1887, Mr. Carr, in
company with Messrs. J. E. Billups, Joseph Moore,
J. D. Rowland, the Russell brothers and C. E. Bull,
bought out J. D. Nash and incorporated the Citi-
zens' Bank, of Milton, with a capital of §10,000

THE NEW TOR fr

^{yr/2M)

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ijiii

Mr. Carr was elected Fresiilent and W. D. Russell
Cashier. William Bilhips subseqiientlj- bouglit out
the Russell brothers' interest and served one 3'ear
as Cashier, after whieh he resigned the position to
Franl< ISI. Ednuindson, the present cashier, but still
retains his interest in tlie bank. ]Mr. Carr has iield
the position of President uninterruptedly since the
organization of the company. In political senti-
ment he is a Democrat. lie has held numerous
township offices in Jackson Township and enjoys the
distinction of liaving been the only Democrat ever
elected to the State Senate from the Second District
of Iowa. He was elected in 1884 over one of the
most popular Republicans in the district. Col. S.
A. Moore, by a majority of 350; Mr. Carr's
vote was 3,122, to Mr. Moore's 2,772, while Mr.
Trebblecock. the Greenback candidate, received
899 votes.

Mr. Carr is esteemed one of the most successful
business men of Van Buren County and lias won
his success by his unaided efforts and sagacious
business management. As a financier, he is an ac-
knowledged leader in his community, where he en-
joys the unbounded confidence and respect of a
wide circle of friends and business associates.

-^,>4M.

:■ — i~^iN^^

4-^^r-

\fl AMES HICKENBOTTOM, deceased. Among
tlie earliest and most highly esteemed
pioneers of Jefferson County is numbered
the gentleman whose name heads this sketch.
He was born in Kentucky, September 23, 1829, a
son of Joseph and Rebecca (Ferguson) Hicken-
bottom. His fatlier was als(j a native of Kentucky.
born in 1802. But his mother was a Carolinian by
birth and first opened her eyes to the ligiit of day
in 1799. In early life she emigrated to Kentucky
witli her people and there became the wife of Mr.
Ilickenljoltom. Al)out 1823 the young couple re-
moved to Jacksonville, III., where for some fifteen
years the husband carried on the shoemaking
business. In 1 838 he emigrated to Jefferson County,

Iowa, making a first location near Brighton, but
soon afterward he secured a claim wliere Parson-
ville now stands, which is still held by the family.
Possessed of good foresight and sound business
judgmcHt, he turned to good account nearly every
business enterprise with which he was connected.
Beginning life a poor man lie labored on success-
fully until he had accumulated one thousand acres
of land. He not only had to overcome the disad-
vantages of poverty, but lack of education proved
an obstacle in tiis patli, but like all other diflBcuUies
in his way he overcame this. He could not read
at tlie time of his marriage, but bj' personal effort
he mastered the common branches of learning and
became a fairly well informed man. Politically he
was a life long Democrat. In 18G2 his wife, who
for thirty years had l)een a member of the Metho-
dist Church and was a consistent Christian lady,
passed to her reward. After her death he married
Mrs. Moberly, widow of Dr. J. T. Moberly. His
children, eleven in number, were all by his first
wife. He died in 1882.

James Hickejibottom, the subject of this sketch,
inherited in full measure the business capacity of
his father. As the schools in this neighborhood at
that day were of the poorest sort, the most of his
knowledge was acquired by reading and observa-
tion, and experience was to him a faithful teacher,
by whose lessons he profited to the welfare of his
financial resources. Among his first business en-
terprises was a trip to the pineries of Wisconsin.
Borrowing ten dollars he went thither and began
work. At length he prepared a raft of lumber, but
a rise in the river and a flow of ice swept it all
away. He was not disconcerted however, for no
obstacle so large arose in his path but what he
could find some way to surmount it. His whole
career was marked by indomitable perseverance,
and success was consequently attendant upon his
efforts.

Mr. Hickenbottom was also fortunate in his
matrimonial alliances as to the ladies of his choice,
he being three times mrrried. The wife of his
early manhood was Jane C. Allison, a native of
Washington County, Pa., born April 20, 1830.
She was the mother of all his children — ten in
nvimber. His second wife was Mary Restine, after

608

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

whose death he wedded Susan L. Dean, a native of
New York City and a most estimable lady.

Mr. Hickenbottom engaged in farming during
the greater part of his life, but his last years were
spent in Fairfield in the loan business. He took an
active interest in political affairs and was a strong
advocate of Democratic principles. He Iwas an
earnest worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church,
a member of tlie Masonic order and- of the Old
Settlers Society. In all those organizations he had
hosts of warm friends, and his circle of acquaint-
ances and friends embraced many cntside of those
organizations. He died September 18, 1887, re-
spected by all who knew him. In his death Jeffer-
son County lost one of its earliest settlers and most
useful citizens.

■^>^^^^^^;^f^^-^'

■^»v^ V^,

,*^5\ AMUEL F. BOOKER who is now living in

(If xl »

^^^ Fairfield, is numbered among the early set-
IJl/^) tiers of Jefferson County. The historj- of
his life is as follows: He was born in St.
Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio, on the 14th of
July, 1823, his parents being William and Patience
(Berry) Booker. His father was born near Win-
chester, Va., in 1791, and his mother, who was a
3'ear his junior, was a native of Brownvilie, Pa. In
their childhood, they accomi)anied their respective
families to Ohio, where they became acquainted
and were married, locating in St. Clairsville. Mr.
Booker was proprietor of a saddler's shop at that
place and did an extensive business. One of the
saddles which he manufactured in 1832 is now in
j)OSsessiou of our subject. He was a keen, shrewd
and energetic business man who generally accom-
plished whatever he undertook. No ordinary im-
pediment or obstacle could deter him from pursuing
a plan but he always found some way in which to
overcome the difficulty. In an early day he car-
ried on trading on the Ohio River and also dealt in
lands. He was instrumcintal in the establishment
of the Belmont Bank, of SC. Clairsville, Ohio, which
was one of the important moneyed institutions of i

its day. While living in St, Clairsville, he held
the office of Postmaster for a number of years. In
1859 he removed to Ralls County, Mo., where he
had acquired lands, in order to devote his attention
to the care of his property. His character was
.worth of every honor paid itand as an example of
his uprightness and the high regard in which he
was held, we state that he was made one of the ex-
ecutors having in oiiarge the estate of the noted
Jacob E. Grove. On becoming a voter Mr.
Booker identified himself with the Democratic
party, but at the time 'of Van Buren's nomination
for the Presidency he became a supporter of the
Whig partj', and on the organization of the Repub-
lican party joined its ranks. During the war he was
outspoken in favorof the policy of President Lincoln
and continued a warm defender of his party's princi-
ples until his death, which occurred in 1878. His
wife spent her last days at the home of our subject
and had attained the ripe old age of eighty- two
years when her life here was ended.

Samuel F. Booker is one of the worthy and re-
spected citizens of Jefferson County. In his youth
he was surrounded by Christian influences which
did much to mould the character which has been
admired by his many friends for its excellencies.
His educational advantages were also superior to
tliose afforded many youths of his day. He be-
came familiar with the higher branches of mathe-
matics, including geometry and surveying and his
scholastic training also embraced a course in Latin.
He was thus somewhat fitted for his life work, yet
on starting out to battle with the world he had not
the advantages of capital. At the age of eighteen,
he went down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to
New Orleans, shipping produce to that market, af-
ter which, for some sixteen years, he was engao-cd
in buying and selling horses, from which business
he realized a good income.

On the 18th of May, 1848, Mr. Booker was
united in marriage with Miss Narcissa A., daughter
of William and Harriet (Magill)Wilkins. Her birth
occurred at St. Clairsville, Ohio, December 12,
1829, where her father ran a saddler's shop for
some years. He was a native of South Carolina
but was reared in Pennsylvania and when a youno-
man removed to Ohio, where he was married. His

POlimAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ri09

wife was a native of Winchesters Va. Botli died
at St. Claii'sville, respected by aH wlio knew tLiem.
Tliey were members of the MetlSdist Church ami
consistent Ciiristian people. Mra Wilkiiis served
as associate judge of the court of Soninion pleas.
In 1854, accompanied by two companions, Mr.

Booker came to Jefferson CouutvSand as he found

■ ft
the country all that he anticipatdgl. he made pur-
chase of one hundred and sixty-fife acres of land
on section 27, Buchanan Townshffi), which is still
in his possession. He tiien retufced to the East
and for some time longer was engsffi'ed in dealing in
horses. At tlie breaking out of the far he took some
stock to Baltimore and at Harper* Ferr}' he and
some others who were engaged in tie same business
were taken from the caboose and ifeade prisoners in
the room where John Brown had boon caitturcd, but
the Confederate autliorities sooui afterwards re-
leased them. He succeeded in making a sale of liis
horses and in (layment received a note indorsed by
Stonewall Jackson. Two weeks were passed be-
fore he could get the note discounted and then lie
suffered some annoyance before he was permitted
to leave; in fact, had it not been for his friend,
Caiit. James Hunter, he would probably not
have succeeded in so doing. In 1865 Mr. Booker
took u[t his residence on his farm in Jefferson
Cour.tv and continued its developuient and im-
provement until 1878. One glance from a |)ass-
er-bv would serve to indicate that the owner was a
man of thrift and enterprise who thoroughly un-
derstood his business and spared neither labor or
expense in making it what a farm of the I'Jlh cen-
tury should be. Since 1878 he has spent a consid-
erable (lortion of his time in Mi-ssouri. On the
death of his father, he was made administrator of
the estate, which involved him in litigation concern-
ing the Grove esl.ite but this he brought to a suc-
cessful terminatitm. In his various business enter-
prises he has succeeded in acquiring a competence
which enables him to spend his declining years in
quiet retirement from business cares.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Booker have been born four
children who are yet living — Anna P., wife of Rob-
ert Sands; Charles II., who is employed as a book-
keeper in Cleveland. Ohio; Harry F., a merchant
of Fairfield; and Clara G. The last named is

one of the trijilets but the other two died in in-
fancy. Mr. and Mrs. Booker hold membership in
the Presbyterian Church, and in politics he is a
Republican and has held the otHce of Assessor. A
large circle of friends and acquaintances hold them
in high esteem, and knowing this sketch will be
read with interest b}' many, we are pleased to record
it on the Images of the hisiory of their adopted
county.

-^-

-Er-

\f/ L. EVERETT, a fanner residing on section
9, Locust Grove Township, Jefferson County,
is the son of Isaac and Amelia (Cosgrove)
Everett, who for a nnml)er of years resided
in this community and ranked among its best
citizens. Thej- were both natives of Pennsylvania,
and after their marriage which was celebrated in
the Keystone State, they removeil to Ohio in 1839,
making a location in Hocking County. It was
during their stay in that county, that the birth of
our subject occurred, the ^'car being 1848. In
1865 the parents removed to Burlington, Iowa, but
a year later took up their residence upon the farm
which is now the home of J. L. Their last days
were spent in this county Mr. Everett passing avvay
in 1872, while the death of his wife occurred in
October, 1884. Their family numbered nine chil-
dren— iMrs. Mary Danley, of Hocking County. Ohio ;
Sarah, now Mrs. Connor, of Athens County, Ohio;
Mrs. Priscilla Parsons, of Lucas County, Iowa; J. L.
of this sketch; Nancy who is now Mrs. Ornduff, of
Oregon; Edward, a resident of Oregon; Ida, now
Mrs. Fleenor, of Polk Township, Jefferson County;
Survenas who is living in Oregon; and Clara now
Mrs. John Connor, of Kansaj. Tlie Everett family
is inseparably connected with the history of Jeffer-
son County for a number of its members were
valued citizens of the community, while some are
still here residing and equally with tlie othei's are
held in high esteem.

It is said that each person is fitted for some par-
ticular business and that if he engages in that pursuit
his life will be a success. Accepting this theory, we

610

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

sboulfl say tliat Mr. Everett found the work for
vvliieh natiiie l)a(l intended bim. He commenced
farming for liiuiself at tlie age of twenty years, on
what is now tlie old liomestead and lias there carried
on operations, his labors netting bim agood income
which provides bim with all tlie comforts of life.
He was married in Jefferson County, in Febiuai\v,
1874, to Miss Mercy Peters, who was born in this
county and is a daughter of John W. and Ann
Ellzabotb (Ilolden) Peters, who were natives of
Indiana. Their residence in Jefferson County dates
from 1844, when, settling in Polk Township, Mr.
Peters began the development of a farm, improv-
ing more than two hundred ac.'es. In 1852, he
engaged in general merchandising in Abingdon,
where two yeais later his death occurred. He was
an earnest Christian gentleman, faithful to every
duty and the acts of kindness and deeds of charity
which be performed won him the love and gratitude
of many. His wife, a most estimable lad}', still
survives him and makes her home in Abingdon.
The children of their family are James R., now a
resident of Polk Township, who enlisted in Daven-
port,Iowa,iD Company D. Nineteenth Iowa Infantry
in 1862 and served three years; Sarah F,, wife of
G. A. Campbell, of Abingdon; Matilda who died
in I860; Isaac who died in October, 1869; Mercy,
wife of our subject ; and Lucinda Jane, now Mrs.
Clark, of Abingdon.

To Mr. and Mrs. Everett have been born eight
children, six of whom are living — Eddie died in
1876, at the age of two years; Gl.adstoneT., Maud,
Blanche, Mabel, John, Earl and Anna Lee are at
home.

Mr. Everett began life with no capital, save a
3'oung man's bright liope of the future, pluck and
eiierg3', but these proved ample to unlock the por-
tals of success. His first purchase consisted of
only twenty-eight acres of timber land, but this he
cleared and planted, adding to it from time to time
as opportunit}' afforded until he is now the owner
of a one hundred and seventy-Qvc farm, all fenced
and under a good state of cultivation. He is not
an office seeker but on the solicitation of friends
accepted the office of trustee and also served on the
Sciiool Board, where he did effective service for tiie
cause of education, of which be is a warm friend.

Politically, he is a Democrat, and socially, he is a
member of Abingdon Lodge, No. 468, I. 0. O. F.
He served as treasurer of the order for some 3'ears
and has passed thi'ougb all the chairs of the order.
He and bis wife are members of the Christian
Church and their circle of friends is extensive,
embracing the best citizens of the communitv.

,ILLIAM J. JOHNSON has been a resident
\VA/// ^^ ^ "" Buren Count}' for fifty-three years,
^ly^ 3'ears in which the county has made much
progress, in which it has advanced rapidly in the
march of civilization and progress and in which,
through the instrumentality of the earl3' settlers, it
has won a foremost place in the ranks of its sister
counties in this great commonwealth. He was
born in Warren County, Ohio, >on the 1st of De-
cember, 1821, and when a lad of six summers
accompanied his parents to Indiana, where he
acquired such education as the pioneer schools of
that da3' afforded. In the spring of 1837, he ac-
companied his father to Van Buren Count}', and
assisted in making preparations for the reception
of the family, which preparations consisted in the
erection of a log cabin. He spent two years on the
farm aiding in the development of the vyild land
and then went to Bonaparte where he assisted in
the construction of the first dam across the river.
A mill was then built and entering the same he
was there employed for nearl}' seventeen consecu-
tive years, when having acquired sufficient capital
to engage in business for himself, he embarked in
mercantile pursuits. In 1856, the company of
Johnson & Cbrist3' was formed and for a quarter of
a centur}' the partnership continued, the firm doing
a good business and gaining a wide reputation for
fair dealing, courteous treatment and the excellent
quality of the goods carried.

In 1846, in Van Huren County, Mr. Johnson led
to the marriage altar Miss Mary J. Christ}' and
unto them was born a famil3' of nine children.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

611

James, the eldest, died al the age of eighteen jears;
Clarissa J. is the wife of George F. Smith, editoi
of the Keosauqua Democrat; Nancy B. is the wife
of George T. Ward; Maggie M. wedded William
Meek; Ellen M. is single; Thomas H. is engaged in
the practice of law; Joseph A., is employed as
cashier in the Farmers' and Traders' Bank of Bona-
parte; George B. is chief train dispatcher for the
Ft. Worth & Denver Railroad Company, with
headquarters at Ft. Worth; and the ninth child
died in infancy.

In political sentiment, Jlr. Johnson is a stanch
supporter of Democratic principles; he whs elected
Clerk of the courts of Van Buren County and has
hi Id other local offices of trust. In many ways he
is inseparably connected with the early history of
this county, having been identified with not a few
of its early projects and enterprises. Ever willing
to assist in the advancement of anything calcu-
lated to benefit the community, his aid was fre-
quently solicited and response cheerfully made.

(jl^-^ON. CHARLES NEGUS, deceased, the pio-
neer lawyer of Fairfield, Iowa, who at his
death was the oldest member of the Jeffer-
son C'ountj' bar, was born in Webster, Mass.,
in 181G. He lost his father in childhood, passed
bis early yeais in hardships, and at the age of four-
teen chose a guardian for himself, and passed from
under the care of a step-father. Wlien seventeen
years of age he joined the Methodist Episcopal
Church, of which he was an active member the
greater part of his life. He was ambitious to ac-
quire a good education, and was an industrious
student, making good use of his leisure hours.
Through the kindly assistance of a female relative,
in 18.34 he became a student in the Wesleyan Uni-
versity of Middleton, Conn., and while pursuing
his studies in college, he sustained himself by teach-
ing and other employments as opportunity afforded.
In 1838 he was graduateii, and with the desire to

enter upon a legal profession, he turned his atten-
tion to the study of law. During the year 1839,
he went to Petersburg and Richland, ^'a., and was
engaged in teaching in that State until the autumn
of 1840, when he bade good-by to liis old home,
and started for the far West. After several months
spent in travel and prospecting, he finally bjcatod.
in the spring of 1841, in Fairfield, Iowa, where he
entered upon the practice of his profession. Three
years later he returned to Richmond, Va., and was
joined in wedlock with Miss Martha Eleanor Smith,
who comes of an old Virginian family, and is a na-
tive of Richmond, that State.

Immediately after their marriage. Judge Negus
returned with his bride to Fairfield, wliere he con-
tinued to make his home until his death, which oc-
curred on the 4th of Ma}', 1877, leaving his wife
and three children to mourn the loss of a devoted
husband and father. The eldest child, L3'man
Smith, is an only son. He studied law with his
father, was admitted to the bar, and for several
years was his father's law partner. He is now a
resident of Red Oak, Iowa. The eldest daughter,
Mary Cary Ambler, is the wife of Thomas Griffith,
of Red Oak; Susan Ella, the youngest, wedded
Isaac Dryson, and is living with her husband in
Los Angeles, Cal. Mrs. Negus removed to Red
Oak, in 1881, and has since made that city her place
of residence.

The Judge was a life-long Democrat, honest in
his convictions, and fearless in defense of his prin-
ciples through the dark days of the late Civil W^ar,
when to be a Democrat in Iowa, during the high
state of political feeling then existing, was to be
subjected to coldness and suspicion by over-zealous
supporters of the administration. Judge Negus
rose above the petty annoyances of the times, and
commanded and enjoyed the respect of his fellow-
citizens in a marked degree. His energy, enter-
prise and public spirit brought him into prominence
even in the early days of his residence in Fairfield.
He was chosen to many public positions of honor
and trust, the duties of which he discharged with
ability and fidelity. He was elected Judge of the
Probate Court in 1843. and served until 1846. In
18.30 he was elected a Representative of the Gen-
eral Assembly of Iowa, in 1856 was appointed Pro-

612

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBH,

bate Judge, and the following year was elected
Prosecuting Atlornej'. lie was one of the origi-
nal iirojeetors of the Iowa Railroad Company, was
very energetic and influential in support of that en-
terprise, and was elected President of the company.
He twice served as President of the School Board,
nnd also as Director. He took an active part in
securing the establishment of the branch of the
State University of Fairfield, which for years was
the important institution of learning here, and in
oilier ways did much to advance the educational
interests of the city.

At the holding of the first quarterly' meeting in
Fairfield, held in 1841, Judge Negus was admitted
to membership, and gave liberall3' toward the build-
ing of the first church of that denomination in Fair-
field. Mrs. Negus is an Episcopalian, and we find
by tiie records that the Judge was cliosen a mem-
ber of the First Vestry of St. Peter's Episcopal
Church, which was elected March 24, 1856. He
continued his connection with the Episcopal Churcli
during the remainder of his life. As a citizen, he
was always public-spirited, and was prominent in
every enterprise calculated to benefit the commu-
nity in which lie lived. To his efforts and influ-
ence the people of Fairfield are more indebted
than to the labors of any other for the building of
the Southwestern Railroad througli this cit3'. The
high esteem in wiiich he was held, is best shown by
the action of iiis brethren of the bar at the time of
his death.

On Saturdaj' evening, M,ay 5, 1877, a meeting
of the Jefferson County bar was held, to take ap-
propriate action upon the death of Judge Negus.
George Acheson, then the oldostsurviving member
of the bar, was called to the chair; Charles 1?. heg-
gett, now Judge of the District Court, was made
Sceretarj-. Those present in addition to tlie two
above named, were C. W. Slagle, James F. Wilson,
now United States Senator ; D. P. Stubbs, W. B.
Culbertson, J. J. Cummings, M. A. McCoid, late
member of Congress; David Heron, J. R. Mc-
Cracken; W. A. Frush, R. H. Knight, J. D. Mount,
and George H. Case. The following resolutions
were adopted :

Whereas, Hon. Charles Negus, a member of
tlie bar of Fairfield, Iowa, after a successful prac-

tice in his professiof, for a period exceeding one-
tliird of a century, lias been stricken down liy the
hand of death; We,:liis associates in the profession,
who have long niid, intimately known him, do
hereby place on reeVird, tliis minute to his memory.

The deceased wat^the oldest practicing attorney
at our bar, and as sach was entitled to, and had our
esteem and reverenfcc.

As a lawyer, he Vas courteous and honorable ;
ever indefatigable in the preparation of his cases,
and ill liis efforts to^eeure the legal rights of his
clients. .-'

As a citizen, he-'was public spirited and inter-
ested himself in each and every project for the bene-
fit of our city and cfeunty.

As a member of the Iowa Ltgislature, Probate
Judge of this county-. President of the Iowa Rail-
way Compau}', Director of our public schools, and
in many other prominent public positions, he faith-
fully discharged his (duties, and h;is left his mark
upon the times in wl^iicli be lived and upon the
State of his adoption.

We have unfelgned,sorrow in the death of our
brother, hy which oiu' ranks are broken for the first
time in many yeara, nnd we accept our personal
and professional loss only with great sadness. Our
hearts go out in toiiderest .sympathy to the widow
and children of our deceased brother in their be-
reavement, and we li^nder them our sincere con-
dolence." V

Remarks were inad^ by the chairman and others
present, expressing their high opinion of their late
brother, of his ability, his faithfulness and energy,
his high standard of prt)fcssi()iial conduct, his pub-
lic spirit and leadership in all the enterprises which
have enriched our county and beautified our city;
and of the beauty and integrity of his character,
and testifying to the shoclc caused by the death of
one who was a friend to'eacli of us. ihe oldest of
all, the first to be cafled away. The minute was
adopted by the vote ofall present.

Geokgk Acheson, Chairman.
Charler D. LEfiGETT, Secretary.

Judge Negus took a warm interest in all that per-
tained to the history of his adopted State, gathered
much interesting data on that subject, and wrote
industriously and ably in that cause. Many inter-
esting sketches pertaining to ])ioneer timss in Iowa,
from his pen, were published in the Annals of Iowa,
a historical periodical issued by authority of the
State Historical Society. ' For several years just
prior to his death, he dfevoted m.uch labor to the
prepar.ation of a historj' of Iowa, which be con-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

613

teinplatcd publishing, but deatli came before his
work was couipleled. Judge Negus was a man of
marked individuality, brave, self reliant, dignified
in manner, yet genial and courteous to all; never
covetous or given to selfish desire of personal gain,
but earnest in a broad spirit of devotion for the
public welfare, an<l best enjoyed that which bene-
fited his fellow-men through the prosperity of the
commonwealth whorcin he lived.

'Tr^, OBRRT MOORE, the subject of tliis sketch,
jjWf is a prominent pioneer settler of Round
lAi \V Prairie Township, dating his residence in
"^^1 Jefferson County from the spring of 1840.
However, two years previous he had located in Van
Buten County, and may therefore be called a pio-
neer of fifty-two years standing. His home is now
located on section 17, and bis post-office is Glas-
gow. He was once extensively engaged in farm-
ing, but has now practically retired, but we will
speak more fully of his Ijusiness interests later on.
Mr. Moore was born on the northern bank of
the Ohio River in Dearborn County, Ind., Janu-
ary 4, 1819, and is the fifth child of Robert and
Elizabeth (Powell) Jloore. His father was a, na-
tive of Ireland, but when a lad of eight summers,
crossed the broad Atlantic with his parents to
America, and settled in Pennsylvania, where he
grew to manhood and was married. The lady of
his choice was a native of Washington, Pa., and by
their union were born ten children, but only three
are now living, the eldesc of whom is Robert, the
subject of this notice; George, the second brother,
is a merchant of Bentonsport, Iowa; and Rachel is
now Mrs. Morris, of Pawnee County, Kan. As be-
fore stated, Robert Moore, Sr., was mariied in
Pennsylvania, but shortly afterward he became a
resident of Ohio, and later made bis home in In-
diana. In 1838, he removed to Van Buren County,
Iowa, where he and his wife spent the remainder of
their lives. The death of ^Irs. Moore occurred in
1860. and three years later he was laid by her side

in the cemetery of Bentonsport. Thej' were highly
respected by all who knew them, and many friends
mourned theii- loss.

Robert Moore, Jr., reached the age of maturity
soon after the family settled in Iowa, at which time
he began learning the <'.arpenter's trade. This
business he followed until he was enaliled to D'ake
tl^e purchase of forty acres of unimproved land in
Round Prairie Township, becoming owner of that
tract in 1841. The same year he married Miss
Sarah Stewart, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth
(Clieney) Stewart, who were also pioneers of Round
Prairie Township. With a thrifty helpmate to sup-
plement the undaunted activity and energy charac-
teristic of his own nature, Mr. Moore began to lay
the foundation of his home and fortune, and by
hard work and economy he was enabled to make
many improvements upon his farm, and add to his
original purchase an additional forty acres prior to
the year 1850, at which time he became infected
with the gold fever, and crossed the plains to Cali-
fornia. The trip was made with an ox-team, and
one hundred and eleven days were required to
make the ])assage from the ]\Iissouri River to Cold
Springs, Cal., near where he was successfully en-
gaged in mining about two years. Not wishing to
again brave the dangers, the trials and hardships of
a trip across the country, he returned to his home
by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York
Cit}'. In 1860, he again made a trip to the fields
of gold, but this time his destination was Pike's
Peak, Colo., and a few months sufficed to convince
him that it would be more profitable for him to de-
vote himself to his business interests in Iowa, than
to seek for gold where none was to be found. A
third time, in 1862, he ag;iin traveled Westward,
visiting Oregon and Idaho. His travels were not
only a success when considered from a financial
standpoint, but proved of a highly interesting and
instructive character. By his intercourse with the
different people with whom he came in contact, he
gained a knowledge of the world, not given in text
books, and saw manj' sights and encountered many
interesting experiences which make his conversa-
tion regarding his travels of pleasing interest to his
hearers. His pioneer experiences in this and Van
Buren Counties, are also worthy of mention. The

614

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALHUM.

hardships and privatir>ns incident to frontier life,
were not unknown to the family, neither were its
peculiar pleasures and enjoyments. A people sep-
arated from friends, and witli little means of com-
municalion at their command, make for tiiemselves
pleasures, and promote sociability such as is not
found in any other community. At the time of
his sett'emeiit in the neighborhood, Iowa did not
contain as many inhabitants as are now found in
some of her cities, the population was widely scat-
tered, and the work of progress and advancement
seemed scarcely begun. Mr. Moore was i)resent at
the first land sale held in the Territory. One inci-
dent in his early life in Iowa is worthy of mention.
While living in Van Buren County, he started on a
trip to the mouth of tiie Des Moines River for some
goods that had been shipped to that point. On
reaching Lexington, he was asked to take charge of
a box which was to be conveyed down the river.
He consented and undertook the mission, but there
appeared to be something mysterious connected
'.vith the affair, and in course of time it was dis-
covered that the box contained the bones of the In-
dian chief. Black Hawk which had licen stolen by
one Dr. Turner and John fSynord, who took them
to St. Louis, where they ex|)ected to realize a
handsome sum from them. Failing to realize on
them as expected. Dr. Turner brought the bones
back to Quincy , III., after which they were returned
to the chief's family.

Mr. and Mrs. Moore hold membership in the Free
Methodist Church of Mt. Zion. They are the par-
ents of ten children, but four have been called
home: William, who married Miss Elizabeth John-
sou, is living in Pottawatomie County, Iowa; El-
len is now deceased; Margaret A. is the wife of
Alex Dowd, of Nebraska; Frances is the wife of
Albert Gregg, of Republic County, Kan.; Annie
wedded Jud.son Ilogate, of the same county ; Emma
J. is now Mrs. Stephen Wadkins, and her home is
on the old farm; Etta J. is still with her parents;
George W., Robert and John W. are deceased.

In his political views, Mr. Moore is a Republican,
and is accounted one of the leading and valued
citizens of the community. On his return from
liis third trip in the West, ho settled down to active
I nin life, and during a few years following added

■ many improvements, and extended the boundaries
of his farm until he now owns two hundred acres.
His home is a commodious and pleasant dwelling,
good barns and outbuildings are provided for the
care of the stock and grain, the fences are all in re-
pair, and everything pertaining to a well arranged
farm is there seen. Mr. Moore has now laid aside
many of his business interests, devoting his atten-
tion solely to keeping his farm in repair, and to the
raising of fine stock. He h.as been especially suc-
cessful in the latter branch of his business, and has
raised some of the finest horses in the county, in-
eluding a team of Norman mares which were prob-
abl}' the best ever raised in Southeastern Iowa. His
property and wealth are the result of his own efforts
and he not only now has a comfoi'table income, but
has acquired sufficient capital to enable him to lay
aside the more arduous duties of life, and spends
his time in the enjoyment of the fruits of former
toil.

.^^

^l<=^i^

JN. GEORGE F. WRIGHT, one of the
iJJ prominent men of Keosauqua, Van Bureu
i^' C'ount3', Iowa, now a prominent attorney of
v^} Council Bluffs, Iowa, is a native of Warren,
Washington County, Pa., born December 5, 1833.
His father, Franklin A. Wright, of English descent,
was a farmer by occupation and a man of decided
character, who exerted a great influence in his
community.

George received a good academic education,
and designed to pursue a collegiate course. At the
age of seventeen he engaged in teaching, continu-
ing that occupation four years; at the expiration
of that time, in the spring of 18.55, Mr. Wright
settled in Keosauqua, Van Buren County, and be-
gan the study of law in the office of Messrs. Knai)p
& Wright; was admitted to the bar in 1856, be-
coming a partner in the firm with whom he studied;
continuing in |)ractice in Keosauqua until 1868
with good success. Mr. Wright then removed to
Council Bluffs, his present home, and resumed the
practice of his profession with Judge Caleb Bald-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

615

win. Duiincr the partnership they acted as attor-
iiey.s for the Chicaoo, Rook Island & Pacific Rail-
road, also for the Burlington A' Missouri, and the
Union Paeiflc Railroad.

His fellow citizens seeing in iNIr. Wright peculiar
fitness for official position, have honored him with
responsible trusts. While a resident of Keosanqua
he was solicited to become a candidate for the Leg-
islature, but declined on account of pressing en-
gagements. In iy74 he was elected to represent
in the State Senate the district com|)rising Mills
and Pottawattamie Counties for four years. In
puhlie enterprises he has always been active, and
while inlliefState Senate he acted a piomlnent part.
During the Civil War he rendered verj' clflcient
service to the State in raising troops, and through
his efforts the necessity of a draft in ^'an Buren
County was avoided. Upon the first call for vol-
unteers by President Lincoln, he vvas commissioned
by Gov. Kirkwood, and raising a company, repaired
to the rendezvous, but the call being filled the com-
pany disbanded.

Personally, Mr. Wright is a man of sterling
qualities, and possesses a wide range of experience.
He vvas married in 1865, to Miss Ellen E. Brooka,
of Morthfield, Vt., and by that union was blessed
with two sons and two dausrhters.

\V. FERGUSON, wlio is the owner of more
jj'l than eight hundred acres of land in Van

Buren Ct)unty, his home being in I)es Moines
Township, was born in Beaver County, Pa., in
1835, being the second child in the family of
John and Nancy (Adams) Ferguson, who were the
parents of three children. His father was also born
in the Keystone State and was of Scotch descent,
the family having been founded in Pennsylvania
by Scotch emigrants at an early day. He engaged
in merchandising in his native State and his death
occurred in 1886, having survived his wife for two
J ears. Her people vvere of English extraction.
In the schools of Pennsylvania, D. W. Fergusrn

acquainted himself with the common branches, but
completed his education in Poland, Ohio. After
leaving school, he engaged in driving stock from
Western Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, and also
drove horses from that State to Illinois, at one time
being twenty-eight days upon the road. He fol-
lowed the life of a drover for several years and
then located, in 1854, near where now is situated
the city of Aledo, in Mercer County, 111. He saw
that town platted and after a few years' residence
in its vicinity resumed his westward journey. Cross-
ing the Mississippi River, he made a location in
Des Moines Township, Van Buren County, Iowa,
where he develoiied a farm, that still continues to
be his home. He first jnirchased two hundred
and forty acres of wihl land, but after be had
placed it under cultivation he made additional pur-
chases from time to time until he owned nearly
nine hundred acres, all situated in Des Moines
Township, with the exception of two hundred
acres lying in Vernon Townsliip. The cause of
his splendid success in business life may be attrib-
uted to his enterprising and progressive spirit. In
connection with general farming, he engages ex-
tensively in stock-raising, much of the land being
devoted to pasturage, upon which may be found
many head of thoroughbred Durham cattle.

In this county, in 1858, Mr. Ferguson was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah N. Alcorn, a
native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Alex-
ander and Mary (Phillips) Alcorn. Her parents
were Ijorn in Ireland, but in early life they left
their native land and settled in Pennsylvania. Mr.
Alcorn became an intUiential citizen of the commu-
nity where he resided, and was commissioned Ma-
jor of the State Blilitia in 1824. In November,
185G, he brought his family to Van Buren County,
Iowa, and settled upon an improved farm in Ver-
non Township, where he resided until his death,
in 186.3. His wife survived him until 1881, when
she too passed away.

Mr. and Mrs. F"erguson began their domestic life
upon his farm in Des Moines Township, and to-
gether they traveled life's join-ney for thirty-one
years, sharing with each other its joys and sor-
rows, its adversity and [)rosi>erity, but in Decem-
ber, 1889. the loved wife was called to her final

616

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

rest. Three children were born of their marriage

John Ad.Tins. who niaiTieil Aiirelia B. Laytoii in

188C; Isabella, now Mrs. Power, of Centerville,
Iowa; and Alex Phillips, who died in 1862, aged
one year and ft)ur months. The mother was a
consistent member of the Methodist Church, of
Mt. Sterling, to which Mr. Ferguson and his son
and daugiiter-in-law also belong.

On the organization of the Republican party,
Mr. Ferguson «as one of the first to espouse its
cause, and continued an ardent supporter of its
principles for a number of years, but since 1870
he has been a stanch Prohibitionist. To the cause
of temperance he ever gave his support, and be-
lieving that tlie liquor tradic can only be .abolished
by legislation, lie supports that parly which repre-
sents his views.

ENRY C. CALDWELL was born in Mar-
shall County, W. Va., on September 4,
1832. He was the son of Van and Susan
Caldwell. On his father's side he is of
Scotch origin, the family having originate(i at the
Cold AVells in Scotland, and on his mother's side
he is descended from Irish stock. His maternal
grandfather was an Irishman by birth, became a
Methodist minister, volunteered in the War of
1812, and died in the service. His parents removed
from West Virginia to Iowa in 1836, where he was
educated in the private and common schools of
that day. He began the study of law in the
law olHce of Wright & Kna|)p, at Keosauqua, Iowa,
at the age of seventeen, was admitted to practice
in his twentieth year, and shortly thereafter be-
came a junior moudjer of that firm. He at once
engaged in active practice, and was soon recog-
nized as one of the most successful lawyers of his
age in the State. In 185G, lie was elected Prosecu-
ting Attorney for bis district, and in 1858 was
elected to the Legislature, and for two sessions was
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House
In 1861, he was commissioned Major in the Third

Iowa Cavalry, and was promoted successively to be
Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel of that regiment.
Gen. Busscy, Assistant Secretary of the Interior,
Judge Caldwell and Gen. Noble. Secretary of the
Interior, were successively and in the order named
Colonels of that regiment. He was an efficient
officer. Gen. Davison, in his Otlicial Report on the
occasion of the capture of Little Rick, says:
"Lieut-Col. Caldwell, whose untiring devotion and
energy never flags, during night or day, deserves
for his gallantry and varied accomplishments as a
cavaby ollicer, promotion to the rank of a general
otHeer."

Ill June, 1864, our subject while serving with his
regiment. President Lincoln aiipointed him District
Judge of the I'nited States for the district of Ark-
ansas. The United States courts were opened in
Arkansas in I860, and immediately the docket was
crowded with business. From that time to the pres-
ent. Judge Caldwell has continued to hold the
Federal Court in this district, and has occasionally
held court in districts in other States.

Judge Caldwell is a self-made man, and |)os-
sesses a vigorous grasp of intellect and a strong
sense of justice, and though not a classical scholar,
is a master of terse English. The force and clear-
ness of his opinions have attracted the attention
of the bench and bar of the country, and some of
them have become leading authority on the sub-
jects to which they relate. His administration of
justice has been characterized by ability, honesty
and impartiality, and it is probable that there is
not a judge in the United Stales who enjoys in a
higher degree the confidence and esteem of the bar
of his court, which numbers among its members
lawyers as eminent as any in the country.

On March 4, 1890, Judge Caldwell was appointed
United States Circuit Judge, for the Eighth Circuit.
As a member of the Arkansas State Bar Associa-
tion, and otherwise. Judge Caldwell has partici-
pated actively in the amendment and improvement
of the laws of that State. His address on the "In-
security of titles to real property" led to impor-
tant legislation on that subject, and his address on
the "Anaconda Mortgage System" prevailing in
that State attracted wide attention and caused an
amendment of the law and contributed largely to

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

617

foster the spirit tlist led to the establishment of
co-operative stores by tlie "wheel" orgaiiizutions of
that >State. He was active in procuring the enact-
ment of the law which secures to married women
tlie absolute ownership and enjoyment of their
separate property, free from the control of their
husbands or the claims of their creditors. He
aided in t!ie establishment of the present system of
laws in Arkansas regulating the liquor traffic, and
which is esteemed by many as the best code on that
suliject in the country. It was largely due to his-
influence that the act was passed making the debts
and liabilities incurred in the operation of rail-
roads liens on the road, paramount to the liens of
mortgages on tlie road. Judge Caldwell is a poor
man and utterly indifferent to tlie acquisition of
property or money beyond a sum sufHcient to de-
fray tlie current expenses of his family, who live
plainly.

\]

AMES H. JORDON, the pioneer Indian
tiader, who for many years did business
within the present limits of Van Buren
County, was born in Mercer County, K}'.,
September 29, 1806. His paternal great-grand-
father emigrated from ^'il■ginia to Kentucky with
his family, where Peter, the father of our subject,
was born. Both the father and grandfather served
in the War of 1812. and the former rose to the
rank of General. Jn the Keystone State Gen.
.loidon marrie'd Sallie Baker, a native of that
State, and unto them were born six children, but
only two are now living — Jlrs. Nancy Wheat, of
Kentucky; and James II.

Our subject received good educational atlvan-
tages for tliat early day. In addition to attending
the district schools, he pursued his studies in Frank-
fort and Lexington. When only sixteen years of
age lie pushed his way westward. In September,
1 882, he left home, making the journey on horseback,
crossed the Ohio at Louisville, and passing through
Vincennes, Ind., continued on his way to St. Louis
which was then but a village. Having spent most

of the winter in Palmyra, Mo., which was then the
outpost of civilization, lie came into the Indian
country, and from that time until 1835, wlien he
made a permanentsettlement near lowaville, he fol-
lowed trading with the red men, having trading-
posts in Farmington, Bonaiiarte, Kilbourn and
Doud's Station, in Van Buren County, besides
many otiiers elsewhere. A trading-post consisted
of a log house, which the Indians built for him
or he rented, at a place agreed upon to meet and
trade. At these places the nation would come en
masse to receive their supplies. A large circle
would be formed around the goods and three of the
wise men were sent in to see they had full measure.
For every yard of cloth measured off one of the so-
lons would drop a hazel stick, and for a half yard
would break one in two. When the count was de-
cided correct a family came within the circle and
was fitted out from top to bottom, ribbons and all.
This was charged to the nation to come out of their
annuity. Private debts were contracted to be paid
for in furs, but if any failed to meet his obligations
they were paid by the nations.

Mr. Jordon traded with the Sauk, Fox, Winne-
bago, Pottawatomie and some with the Sioux Na-
tion. Black Hawk was a Sauk chief. When the Black
Hawk War broke out Mr. Jordon was ordered out
of the Territory to report at Palmyra, Mo., where
he enlisted in a regiment whose duty it was to
guard baggage wagons and haul settlers, who had
located out some twenty or thirty miles, back to
the town for safety. After the v.ar he again re-
sumed the trade, which he continued until 1840,
doing a yearly business of about $50,000. Mr.
Jordon was acquainted with a number of the great
chiefs and a warm friendship sprang up between
him aufi Black Hawk, who, about 1837, made his
home within four rods of Mr. Jordon's house.
They ran foot races, hunted and associated together
and nothing ever marred their friendly relations.
At his dying hour Black Hawk gave Mr. Jordon a
sword and a bowie knife as tokens of esteem. The
sword is now the property of Arthur Hinkle, a
grandson of Mr. Jordon's. The Indians and the
traders, for that matter, never washed their
clothes. On one occasion our subject was going to
Burlington, and in honor oi the event he thought

618

PORTRAIT AND lUOGRAPIIICAL ALBUM.

to wear some nowly-waslied clothing. An Inilian
squaw washed two suits of undtTwear for him and
in the operation used up a box of soap. When
aslied how much she charged, she replied "sower-
kot," hard to wash. fShc wanted ^50 in mone}-, a
blanket each for herself and luusband, a flne shirt, ten
or twelve dollars worth of calico, a shawl, blankets
and cl'jthes for her children.

Becoming fully convinced that a good wife is
worth her weight in gold, Mr. Jordou, November
27, 1838, near Bonaparte, Iowa, married Miss
Frances M. Williams, a native of Woodford County.
Ky., born June 22, 1817. When young she emi-
grated with her parents to Columbia, Mo., and
while in Bonaijarte on a visit she became the wife
of Mr. Jordon. They had three children, but all
arc now deceased — Henry C; Sarah F., wife of
Caiit. A. Hinkle, and Victor P. The mother died
October 14, 1887.

Politically, Mr. Jordon was a Whig in early life,
but since has been an ultra Deraocrat. Though
eighty-four years of age, he is quite active and his
hair is lightl}' tou('hed with gray. He is the only
li\iiig specimen of those hardy rugged characters
that lii'st set fof>t on Iowa soil.

*^-^^E

AMUEL P. ROWLAND is numbered
among the early settlers of Iowa. He lo-
cated in Davis County, in 1845, three
years before the land sales and is now liv-
ing in Milton. He was born in Sussex Count}',
Md.. Se|)tember 2, 1810, and is a son of John and
Deborah (O'Conner) Rowland. The days of his
boyhood and youth were spent in the usual man-
ner of farmer lads, and after attaining to mature
years he was united in marriage with Miss P^liza-
betli Russell, the wedding being celebrated on the
18th of February, 1840. The lady was born in
Sussex County, P'ebruary 22, 1813, and is a
daughter of Thomas and Mary (Barr) Russell.
The following children were born unto them:
John W., who died at the age of twenty-one years;

Debora, now Mrs. Price, of Jackson Township;
Robert R. ; Mary; Hannah, who died at the age of
eight years; and Jonathan D.

It was in 1845 that Mr. Rowland, accompanied
by his family started Westward. He crossed the
Mississippi into Iowa, and on the 29th of April lo-
cated in Davis County, making his home near the
boundary line of ^'an Biiren County. He owned
land in both counties and engaged actively in
farming until 1874, when he removed to Milton.
He still owns his farm, three hundred acres of rich
land paying tribute to his care and cultivation. He
attends the Methodist Church and in politics is a
stanch supporter of Democratic principles.

H#^^--^ —

^ W. ROCKWELL, who with his brother,
Ed H., owns and edits the Fannington
Herald, is a native of Pleasant Mills, Ind.,
born March 15, I8fil. With his parents became
to Iowa, and in Harrison County, where the family
located, he acquired his education, attending the
public schools of Little Sioux. Almost bis entire
life has been devoted to journalism. At the age
of fifteen he began to learn the printer's trade, and
two years later he trod the rough and thorny path
of a pedagogue. Before he had reached his ma-
jority he was editor and publisher of the La Harpe,
111., Sun, and subsequently of the Dallas S^iiril;
also was for soiiie time connected with the Burling-
ton Hawkeye as telegraph editt)r, and later became
manager of the mechanical department of the same.
In 1886 he established the Herald, and the follovv-
ing year vras joined by bis brother, Ed. H. Several
efforts had been made to carry on a paper at
Farmington, but so often had the project failed
that the people were afraid to subscribe for a whole
year; many would only take the paper for a quarter,
so as not to lose so much if it went down. Such
was the character of the Herald and such its man-
agement, that it soon gained the favor of the peo-
ple and w.as placed on a sound financial basis. The
Rockwell brothers deserve no little credit for the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

619

masterly way in which they liave worked up the
enterprise, giving to their subscribers one of the
best journals in the country. Tlie paper is rlevoted
largely to local interests and deals but little in
politics. However, in May, 1890. they started tlie
Radical Jeffersoaian Demoerat, which shoots tlie
grape and canister of the old line Democracy re-
gardless of whom it hits. Tliese gentlemen are
also interested in the Farmington Music C'ompan}'
and other business enterprises.

In 1883 F. W. Rockwell was united in marriage
with Clara A. Madison, a lineal descendant of the
President. She is a native of Dallas City, 111., and
they have two children — G. Idylmarch and an in-
fant. Mr. Rockwell is a gentleman of considerable
literary taste and ability, and has won a place
among the local poets.

^ €-*-^--

bered among the early comers of Van Bu'en
County, but died the samc'year of bis arrival
^in the community. He was a son of James
and Isabel G. McCrary and was born about the
year 1770, in Iradell County, N. C. Having at-
tained to man's estate, in 171).'5 he was united in
marriage with Ruth Wasson, and they began their
domestic life in the State of his nativity but on ac-
count of the institution of slavery tlie^- removed to
Tennessi'e where they made their home until 1810.
That year witnessed their settlement in Indiana,
where tliej* spent a quarter of a century. In 183.5,
they removed to McDonougli County, 111., but aftei
a year continued on their westward journej' io
what is now Van Buren County, low.i., but only a
short time had been spent by Mr. McCrary in that
community when he was called to his final rest.

Unto this worthy couple was born a family ot
eight children, four sons and four daughters, viz:
Polly, James, Lucinda, Rebecca, Miner, JMinerva,
Abner H., and John C whose sketcli a|)pears on
another page of this work.

Mr. McCrary was reared in the faith of the Pres-

byterian Church and maintained his connection
with the same until about the year 1800, when his
views having changed he severed his connection
with that denomination and became a member of
the Christian Chui-eh. He was one ot the sturdy
and honored pioneers of Indiana and vvas the or-
ganizer of a number of churches in the vicinity of
his home. Living in a d.ay when the slavery ques-
tion was the most important i.ssue to engage the
attention of the people, he took strong grounds
against the institution, especially its introduction
into northern territory. Believing it to he a sin
he did not hesitate to express his views in regard
to it and in the division of the church occasioned
by the opposing views of the members on that sub-
ject, he took his stand with those who believed
that "all men are created equal and that they are
endowed with certain inalienable rights, among
which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness." On the temperance question he was no less
outspoken, urging upon the people the necessity of
abstaining from the use of alcoholic drinks. After
living a true Christian life during a half century,
the greater part of which time he was engaged in
the self-sacrificing labors of a |)ioneer minister of
the Gospel, this good man passed to his heaveiil3'
reward. His wife was his able and faithful assis-
tant in his work and the |)roniises concerning the
future life were dear unto her as unto him.

ONTEREY IIOSKIN, residing in Dcs
Moines Township, Van Buren County, has
spent his entire life in this county, where
he was born in 1848, being the ninth child
of Neri and Rebecca (Dill) Hoskin, whose family
numbered twelve children. They were born, reared
and married in Ohio, and about 1837 came to the
Territory of Iowa, locating in Des Moines Town-
ship, where Mr. Hoskin entered land ^nd with the
aid of his sons transformed it into a good farm. He
took quite an active part in politics during the
early history of the county and was a valued citi-

620

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

zen who won the respect of all with whom he came
ill contact. He continued his residence upon the
ohl homestead until called to his final rest in 1870.
His wife had passed away many years previous,
dying when our subject was an infant. The chil-
dren of the family are, Harris, who is married and
resides in Des Moines Township; Omer, who is
married and living in Montana; Jasper and Neri
are both married and live in Des Moines Township;
Inez died in 1875: Mary Ann is now Mrs. Roberts,
of Jackson Township; Rhoda is now Mrs. Gihle-
man, of Davis County, Iowa; Martha is also a Mrs.
Roberts.

The subject of this sketch was reared to farm
life under the parental roof and spent his boyhood
days in assisting in the cultivation of the home
farm and in attending the district schools, where he
acquired his education. At the age of eighteen
years be began life for himself and the occupation
to which he was reared he has since followed in
pursuit of fortune. He was married in Van Buren
County, in 1870. to Miss Rebecca Tackabary, a na-
tive of this county, and a daughter of Foster and
Ann (Switzer) Tackabary, who were natives of
Ireland, but emigrated to this country and settled
in Van Buren County, Iowa, in the early part of
the '50s. The father died in Davis County, Iowa,
in 1885, anil her mother is still living in tiiat
county.

Mr. and l\Irs. Iloskin, after their marriage, set-
tled upon a (jarl of the old farm where has been
born unto them a family of four children: Anna,
Inez, Fossy and Arthur. In 1878, Mr. Hoskin pur-
chased a partially improved farm of one hundred
and eighty acres, to wliich he has since added a
forty-acre tract, making in all two hundred and
twenty acres which yield to him a golden triliute
for his care and cultivation. 'A portion of this is
highly improved and the remainder is devoted to
pasturage, he engaging to a considerable extent in
stock-raising. Mr. Hoskin is a member of the
Anti-Horse Thief Association and in politics lie is
a stalwart supporter of the Republican party. He
h.as served ns Township Trustee and also upon the
School Board, during which time he did effective
service for tiie cause of education, in which he is
deeply interested. He is numbered among the

pioneer settlers of Van Buren County, and has
witnessed the greater part of its growth and prog-
ress. His memory goes back to the time when
Alexandria, Mo., was their nearest market but now
he can supiily all his wants in the line of merchan-
dise within three miles of his home. Hi,« fellow
townsmen regard him as one of the thrifty and en-
terprising citizens of the community for he has
always displayed a laudable interest in public af-
fairs and done what he could for the promotion of
all objects calculated to advance the general
welfare.

-^^s^fM

SSAIAH HUMBERT, one of the most substan-
I tial farmers of Van Buren County', now a resi-
/i\ dent of Milton, claims Pennsylvania as the
State of his nativity. He was born in Fayette
County, March 29, 1819, and is the son of Jacob
and Mary (James) Humbert, who were also natives
of the Keystone State, but the former was of Ger-
man birth and the latter of Irish descent.

Isaiah Humbert, whose name heads this notice,
spent the da3S of his boyhood and youth in the
usual manner of farmer lads and received a com-
mon school education. Having attained to mature
years, he was married in Uniontown of his native
county, December 22, 1841, to Jliss Mary Shoaf,
daughter of James Shoaf, and a native of Fayette
County, Pa., born in 1816, of German lineage.
Seven children graced their union, four sons and
three daughters, but only two sons and one daugh-
ter are now living. The record of the family is as
follows : William Breckenridge, the eldest was
born September 18, 1842, and died January 14,
1852 ; Ellis Bailey, born March 11, 1844, married
Annie Tatman and resides on a part of the old
home farm in Van Buren County; Peter, born
May 10, 1840, married Catherine Rhoads and is
living on the old homestead ; Serena Ann, boru
March 5, 1848 became the wife of John Rhoads
and died Mareh 7, 1873 ; Isaiah was born May 7,
1851, and died July 19, 1867, at the age of sixteen
years ; Mary' f^lizabeth who was born March 20,

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

621

1853, diefl on the 12tli of February. 1863; Martha
Belle is the wife of Thomas Cooley of Jackson
Township. The four oldest children were born in
Pennsylvania and the younger members of the
family in Van Buren County. ' ,

Mr. Humbert was engaged in farming in his !
native State until the spring; of 18.50, when believ-
ing he might better his tinancial condition, he
started Westwai'd, accompanied Ijy his family. The
new State of Iowa w.as his destination and he settled
near Bonaparte, Van Buren County, on a farm,
to the cultivation of whieli in connection with
stock-raising, he devoted his time and attention
until 1861, when he removed to Jackson Township
of the same county and purchased a line ))rairie
farm situated about four and a half miles south of
Milton. He is now the owner of five hundred and
ten acres of well improved prairie land, including
his original purchase, in Jackson Township, which
he leases from year to year. He continued to per-
sonallj' operate his farm until the spring of 1889,
when he removed to Milton and purchased his
present residence, since which time he has |)ractic-
ally laid ,aside all lousiness cares.

In politics Mr. Humbert is a Retiublican and has
voted with that party since its organization, feeling
a deep interest in its success. He and his excellent
wife are consistent members of the Methodist
Church, as are his daughters. Mr. Humbert has
lived an active and useful life, well worthy of em
ulation. In his habits he is frugal and temperate
and he has, by patient industry and judicious man-
agement succeeded in acquiring a Inrge and valua-
ble property.

ILLIAM N. CHID POSTER follows farming
■yt,, and stock-raising on section 24, Polk Town-
ship. He is a valued citizen of Jefferson
County, wher(.> for a quarter of a century he has
made his homo. Pulilic spirited and progressive,
be is ever ready to aid in the advancement of the

county's best interests and has identified himself
with many of its leading enterprises.

We have no records concerning the early history
of the Chidester family but know that it was founded
in America during Colonial day.s and that the pa-
ternal grandparents of our stibject, William and
Lydia(l)ean) Chidester, were natives of Connec-
ticut. He served in the Revolutionary War and
in 1798, accompanied by his family emigrated to
Mahoning County, Ohio, where in the midst of the
forest, he developed a farm, being the first settler
of that county. Both he and his wife spent their
last days in the Buckeye State where they died
many years ago. One of their children, Erastus
Chidester, who was born in Connecticut, accompa-
nied them on their emigration to Ohio, in 1798,
and in that .State having attained to mature .years,
wedded Miss Lydia Sackett, daughter of Benjamin
and Betsy (Carter) Sackett, who were also natives
of Connecticut, the former born of Welsh descent,
while the latter was of Dutch lineage. Mr. Sack-
ett also served in the War for Independence as a
valued soldier of the Colonial Army. After the
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Chidester, they settled
in Ohio, where they continued to make their home
until 1862, when they removed to Mercer County.
III. With the blood of Revolutionary heroes flow-
ing in his veins, lie was inspired by patriotic im-
pulses to enlist in the War of 1812, in which he
did good service for his country. He was out-
spoken and fearless in expressing his views on the
.slavery question and took an active part in the
formation of the Abolition party in Ohio. He
did not live to see the day when the curse had been
driven from the land, for in 1864 he was called to
his final rest. The following year his widow came
to Jefferson County, Iowa, where she made her
home until her death in 1872. The following
were members of their family — Clark, their eldest
child, came to Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1865,
and died in 1882; Caroline is now IMrs. Reeder, of
Carroll County, Iowa; Julius is married and re-
sides in Erie, Pa.

William N. Chidester, another member of the
family add the subject of this sketch, was born in
Mahoning County, Ohio, in 1834. and in his native
State was reared to farm life. He acquired such

622

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

edufational ad vantages as were afforrted by tlie
subscription schools of Ibat day but his oppoi-tu-
niiies were very limited as compared with the priv-
ileges now extended to the youths of this land.
He began life for himself in 1855, wi^eii having at-
tained to mature years, he left home and removed
to Mercer County, 111., where he was employed at
farm labor for some time. He was in the employ
of John Deere of Moline, the owner of the exten-
sive agricultural implement factory of that cit}'.
Later he embarked in business for himself and in
1857, chose as a companion anil helpmate on life's
journey Jliss Martha E. Titus, the union being cel-
ebrated in Knox County, 111. The lady was born
in Indiana. and is a daughter of Benjamin and Lucrc-
tia (Longly) Titus, the former a native of Pennsyl-
vania, the latter of Kentucky. Their marriage
was celebrated in Indiana, and in 1854, ttiey emi-
grated to Knox County, 111., settling upon a farm
which continued to be their home until 1865. That
jear witnessed their removal to Kansas and a few
years later they came to Jefferson County, Iowa to
spend their declining years at the home of our sub-
ject and his worthy wife,where they were surrounded
bv all the care and comfort which loving hearts
could devise. Mr. Titus died in 1876 and liis wife
passed awa^' in February, 1881).

Mr. and Mrs. Chidester began their domestic
life upon a farm in Mercer County, 111., where for
some eight years they made their home, arriving in
Jefferson County, in 1865. Here he purchased
one imndred and sixty acres of raw prairie land on
section 24, Polk Township, which he at once began
to develop. He has now a fine farm, the value of
which has been greatly enhanced by the erection of
a tasty dwelling and good barns and by a finely
cultivated grove of thirteen acres. Besides gener-
al farming, he raises a good grade of carriage and
road horses and also makes a specialty of fruit
growing, in which he has met with a reasonable de-
gree of success. Mr. Chidester is a man of good
business ability, energetic and industrious and de-
serves no little credit for his prosperous career, his
success being due to his own efforts and the
assistance of his estimable wife, yet he has not al-
lowed business cares to detract his attention from
other duties. As before stated, he gives his hearty

support and co-operation to all worthy interests;
he assisted in the organization of the school dis-
trict and has served as County Commissioner of
Jefferson County. Socially, he is a member of
Clinton Lodge, No. 104, A. F. & A. M., McCord
Chapter, R. A. M., and Unity Lodge, No. 62, V. A.
S. of Fail field. He and his wife hold membership
in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Packwood,
and are among its faithful workers, doing what
the}' can for the advancement of the cause.

lour children have been born of the union of
William N. Chidester and Martha E. Titus. Car-
rie, the eldest, is now Mrs. Barr, a resident of Fair-
field Township; Eva, now Mrs. Thomas, is living in
Black Hawk Township; Adda is a teacher of music
in the Hedrick Normal Institute of Hedrick, Iowa,
and Vera is vet at home.

r?tiENJAMIN PENNINGTON, a harness-
maker of Milton, Van Buren County, and
one of the leading citizens of that (dace, was
born in Kent County, Del., April 25, 1826,
and is a son of Benjamin and Ann (Wilson) Pen-
nington. His father died when he was quite young
and with his mother and step-father he removed
to Franklin County, Ind., wlien a lad of nine years.
He remained in that county until 1844, which year
witnessed his arrival in ^'an Buren County, where
the greater part of his life has since been passed. In
the month of January, 1852, he was united in mar-
riage vvith Miss Elizabeth Cowger who was born in
Rush County, Ind., in 1829. They have five chil-
dren, two sons and three daughters — William
George married Sarah .Stall and is living in Col-
orado Springs, Col.; Thom'is F. wedrled Mary
Lavel and is living in Green Mountain Falls, Col.;
Clara, is the wife of Michael O'Connell, of Milton;
Martha, is the wife of Frank Hunii)hrey, a jeweler
of Milton; and Addieis at home.

About 1854, Mr. Pennington removed to Davis
County, Iowa, where he was engaged in farming for
almost a quarter of a century-. He came to JNIilton in

THE NEW Yi.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

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1878 and tui'iied his attenlion to other pursuits. He
had previousl}' learned the carpenter's trade and now
devoted himself ]to that business until February,
1884, when he purchased a harness shop, since
which time harness making has been the means
employed whereby to gain a livelihood. He is an
expert workman as will be indicated by the fact
that in the same 3'ear in which he embarked in bus-
iness he made a set of harness which took the [jre-
miiim at the fair held that autumn. Since he began
business in that line, Joseph" Spencer has been as-
sociated with him in business as a partner. They
have the only liarness shop in tlie citv and have
secured a flourishing trade, their liberal patronage
yielding them a good income. Mr. Pennington is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; in
political sentiment he is a supporter of the De-
mocracy and socially, a member of Lone Star
Lodge, No. 155, I. O. O. F. of Milton.

.ILLEN KOONS, who is living on section 26,
Locust Grove Township, is an honored pio-
neer of Jefferson County of more than half
a century, dating his resilience from the spring of
1838. He is now in his declining years but thougli
he should soon pass away, he will not be forgotten
on account of the active part which he took in the
upbuilding of the county and the promotion of her
best interests. The record of his life is as follows:
He was born in Henry County, lod., in 1820, the
fiftii child in a family of nine children whose par-
ents were John and Bridget (Nolan) Koons. His
father was born in Ashe County, N. C, and there
grew to manhood and was married and at an early
day removed with his family to Indiana, where he
made his home until the spring of 1838, when ac-
coinpaniod by wife and children, he again started
w^estward, his destination being what is now Jeffer-
son County, Iowa. Here he continued to spend
the remainder of his days and by the early settlers
was held in high regard. He died in 1850, and
his wife, who was a native of North Carolina, sur-

vived him twent3^-six years, passing away in 1876.
Of their family of nine children onl}' four are now
living: Dillen, of this sketch; Nancy, now Mrs.
McGuire, of Adair, Iowa; Rebecca, wife of Allen
Ferguson, of Clark County, Mo. ; and Henry, a
stock-raiser of Wyoming Territory.

Dillen Koons was educated in the schools of his
native State and when a young man of eighteen
years accompanied the family to Jefferson County,
Iowa. Shortly after his arrival, he made a claim
of two hundred acres which was included within
the new purchase. The land at that time bad not
been surveyed and not a house marked the site of
the present thriving city of Fairfield. The nearest
market was then at Keokuk, about sevent\'-five
miles distant, where he drove his hogs and cattle
and hauled his grain. He assisted in raising the
first frame house in Bonaparte and in many other
ways has been identified with the early history of
the count}'. Great indeed have been the changes
which have taken place since that time. Jefferson
County, which was then very sparsely settled, has
now a greater population than almost the entire of
Iowa contained in those early days. The Indian
wigvvams might yet be seen along the banks of the
rivers but the red men were friendly, giving little
trouble except by occasional thefts. All kinds of
wild game was plentiful and wolves often made the
night hideous with their howling. The farming
implements with which the land was developed were
very crude as compared with the improved ma-
chinery of today and the land was broken with
oxen, yet notwithstanding these many disadvan-
tages the pioneer often looks back with a sigh of
regret for it was in those days that true hospitality
existed, that friendship was not a mere name, when
neighbors were willing to make sacrifices for each
other and sliare with those less fortunate than them-
selves anything which they might possess.

Mr. Koons came to this county a single man but
here became acquainted with the lady he desired to
make his wife. In 1849, he was united in marriage
with Miss Jemima Col well, who was born in Indiana
and was a daughter of D.ivid and Susan (Downey)
Colwell, who are numbered among the pioneer set-
tlers of Jefferson County. The family born of this
union numbered eight children: George, who died

626

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

in infancy; David, a resident farmer of Plielps
County, Neb. ; Sarah, wife of William Richardson,
of Holdrege, Neb. ; Allen, a farmer of Locust
Grove Township; Susan, wife of Michael Walker,
of Phelps County, Neb. ; Henry, a resident farmer
of Locast Grove Township; John, wlio is eng.aged
in faiming in Wyoming; an<l Etta, deceased.

Mr. Koons participated in the organization of
this county and was present at the first sale of lots
in Fairfield. He enlisted for the United States ser-
vice during the late war but was rejected on account
of having weak lungs. The cause of education
has ever found in him a warm friend who manifests
his interest in a substantial manner, he having given
an acre of land for the schooihouse and helped to
organize the school district. In politics he takes
an active part but is not bound by parly fetter.s,
voting for the measure and the man regardless of-
the party to which he belongs. The death of Mrs
Koons occurred in 1875. She was a most estimable
lady and her loss was deeply mourned bj' many
friends outside of her immediate family.

<j| OHN WIIITTEN,the present Deputy Treas-
urer of the State of Iowa, was born August
4, 1842, in lAck Creek Township, Van
Bureu Couniy; his parents, Walter and Re-
becca Whitten, having come to the county in 1840,
from Scioto County, Ohio. In his j'oulh he re-
ceived the ordinary educational advantages of the
pioneer schools of those 'lays, and on July 1, 1861,
although less than nineteen years of age, he en-
listed in Company H, Fifth Iowa Infantry. He
saw two years and six months of service in the
field and wore the blue for over four years. He
was with Gen. Fremont during the Springfield,
Mo., campaign in the fall of 1861, participated in
the siege of New Madrid, Mo., the battle at Island
No. 10. and the siege of Corinth, Miss., under Gen.
Halleck in the spring of 1862. In the battle of
luka. Miss., on the 19th of September of that year
he was wounded. He took part in the battle of

Corinth, Miss., on the 3rd and 4th of October fol-
lowing, was in the Yazoo Pass expedition under
Gen. Sherman, the battles of Jackson and Cham-
pion Hills, Miss., and the siege of Vicksburg. This
was followed by the battle of Lookout Mountain and
in the engagement at Missionary Ridge on Novem-
ber 25tli, 1863, he was taken prisoner. We quote
from a volume, "Iowa in War Times" written by
S. H. M. Byers, late Adjutant of the Fifth Iowa
Infantry. In writing about the battles of Lookout
Mountain and Missionary Ridge, he says: "The
Fifth Iowa Infantry's loss, including quite a num-
ber captured, was one hundred six officers and men,
out of the two hundred fortj'-eight engaged. Sev-
eral officers and the color guard were among those
captured in the assault. The flag too, though torn
nearly to pieces, was lost. At the moment it was
about to fall into the rebel bands, it was seized by
some of those nearest it, its stars torn out and
secreted about their persons. One of these stars
was saved by John Whitten, novv Deputy State
Treasurer. He was captured a few moments later
and carried the star with him through mar.j' horri-
ble months of rebel imprisonment. That star,
worthier than any star of the Order of the Garter
framed and preserved, is in the Capitol at Des
Moines. Mr. Whitten was confined on Belle Isle,
Va., for OTer three months and was then removed to
Anderson ville, Ga., in the spring of 1864, and
there confined until April 17, 1865. Of eleven of
his company confined at Andersonville, nine died
from ill treatment and starvation, among which
number was his brother, Josiah A., a young man
full of promise of a useful life. Mr. Whitten was
released ten miles from Jacksonville, Fla.. April
28, 1865, and discharged from the service on the
7th of July following, having for more than four
years under one enlistment followed the fortunes
of war.

On returning from the army, Mr. Whitten took
up farming but bis health was so impaired that he
had to abandon that labor and then attended the
Iowa Agricultural College for two years. He was
married on October 8, 1872, to Miss Ella L. Rice
of Farmington, Iowa who is also a native of Van
Buren County. He was elected to the office of
County Auditor of Van Buren County in the fall

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

627

of 1879, aiirl rc-electerl in 1881, serving two full
terms. He received the appointment of Deputy
Treasurer of tlio State, January 1, 1885, and iiis
third term of two years eaeli, will close in Januarj',
1891. Mr. Whitten is a member of Miles King
Post, G. A. R. of Farmington; of Mt. Moriah
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Kadosli Cliapter, R. A. M.
of Farmington ; also of El Chanan Commandery,
K. T. of Keosauqua.

,_<'.-^(aL-

^JREER MoKEE is the owner of a fine farm
of four hundred acres, his home being sit-
uated on section 34, Liberty Township,
Jefferson Count}'. The record of his life is as fol-
lows: He was born on the 8lh of November,
1827, in Washington County, Pa,, liis parents
being Henry and Elizabeth (Duncan) McKee. The
family is noted for its fuillifulness to dutj' and its
patriotism when the country was in danger. Will-
iam McKee, the grandfather of our subject, was a
member of the Colonial Arm}-. Of Scotch-Irish
birth, he grew to manhood in his native land,
Graduated from one of the leading universities of
Ireland, and attained considerable prominence, bnt
for political reasons sought a home in America,
liringing with him a fortune of $10,000 in gold — a
vast amount for those days, which, together with
his personal services, was sacrificed on the altar of
his adopted country. In return he received worth-
less Continental money, which practicall}- had no
value. Fortune was gone but the consciousness of
having done his dut\' remained and brought with it
a peace and satisfaction which could not have been
his had he shirked the responsibilities resting upon
him. In 1813, he removed to Fayette Coupty, Pa.,
where he died. Other members of the family were
also men of prominence and on the maternal side,
in the Greer family were noted Presbyterian minis-
ters and also one of the judges of the Supreme
Court. During the War of 1812, Henry WcKee,
father of our subject, eidisted in the service in
Miffliu, Pa. and became a recruiting officer. He

continued in the service until peace was declared
and participated in the battle of Plattsburg. He
was a carpenter by trade, and a consistent member
of the Presbyterian Church. His death occurred at
Columbus, Ohio, in 1854.

Greer McKee has for a quarter of a century made
his home in Jefferson County. He was born in
Washington County, Pa., November 8, 1827, as
above stated, and at the .age of seventeen years re-
moved from the Keystone State to Ohio, where he
continued to make his home until his arrival in Iowa.
In early life Mr. McKee learned the carpenter's
trade with his father, at which he worked for many
years. After his father's death, he continued to
carry on the business of contracting and building,
in which he was extensively engaged up to the time
of ills enlistment. After coming to lona he car-
ried on the same business for about five years, since
which time he has devoted his time and enertries
exclusively to farming. On March 1, 1860, he
wedded Miss Mary Tedrow, daugliter of Goliah
and Christina (Miller) Tedrow. In Miiy, 1864, on
the day on which their third child was born, he left
home to enter the service of his country, feelino-his
duty to the government to be greater than all do-
mestic lies, although it can be imagined that" the
sacrifice which he made in leaving was no small
one. He became a member of the One Hundred
and Fifty -Seven til Ohio Infantry, and during the
one hundred days of his enlistment was detached
as superintendent of carpenter work at Ft. Dela-
ware. His services to his country were so valuable
and so faithfully did he perform every task devolv-
ing upon him that his General doubled his wawes,
saying that he was worth $500.

Twelve children have been born of the union of
Mr. and Mrs. McKee and with the exception of one
who died in childhood, all are yet living — Plora
Belle became the wife of James F. Lawsoti, of Jef-
ferson Count}'; Goliah T. is married and lives in
Van Buren County; Mary Elizabeth, who was born
on May 15,1864, the day on whicli lier father en-
tered the service, is now the wife of Reuben John-
son, of Cedar Rapids; William G., Ann Eliza, John
and Rosetta are at home; Ira is now deceased;
Willis Craig, Ulysses Grant, Jennie May and N-,ra
arc yet with their parents. Good educational ad-

628

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

vantages have been placed before the children that
they may be fitted for the practical duties of this
life and three of^lhe^niimher have been students in
tlie Birmingliara Academy.

Thfe present farm of Greer McKee, as liefore
stated, comprises some four iuindred acres of valu-
able land. Ilis first purchase consisted of a one
hundred and fifty-acre tract but by industry, pcv-
severance and good management he was enabled to
extend its boundaries to its present size. . Collett,
a postoffice situated at the terminus of the Ft.
Madison Narrow Gauge Railroad, is located on this
farm. Mr. McKee has been identified with all
measures for the progress and advancement of the
community and has held many of the township
offices of trust. For 3'ears he has been a teacher of
the Bible classes of the Presbyterian Churches in
Birmingham and Bethel and with his familj- has
been one of the most prominent members and
workers in that denomination. He was made a
Mason in 1861, and was an active member for some
years, but some years ago took his demit, and is
not affiliated with any lodge at present. As every
true American citizen should do, he has given con-
siderable attention to the political questions of the
day. He is a Republican in polities and his first
Presidential vole was cast for Gen. Scott, the Whig
candidate in 1852. On the organization of the
Republican party he joined its ranks and has since
supported its principles.

-^^

^ OHN HUFF, with one exception, is the oldest
settler of Jefferson County. He was born
in Montgomery, now Floyd County, Va.,
Ma}- 11, 1811, and is a son of John and
Elizabeth (Pratt) Huff. His father was born in
Greenbrier County, Ya., in 1770, and married a
Miss Thompson, by whom he had four daughters.
His second union was with Miss Pratt, a native of
Bedford County, Va., and unto them were horn
seven children, four sons and tiiree daughters. Mr.
Huff was an expert mcolianic and could manufac-

ture"almost everything from wood, but in his later
years he gave'some attention to farming." In 1817,
accompanied^bv liis family, he removed to Floyd
County, Ky., and while his boys engaged in the
cultivation of the farm he continued his own line of
business. Hejwas a Jackson Democrat_and lived
to the advanced age of nearlj- ninety-one years, his
death oei urring in 1861. The mother of^John died
when he was a lad of sixteenfj-ears.

Our subject was the eldest child in the] family
and in consequence had little]]]advantagcs in his
youth. Moving to]^the mountainous part ofj[Ken-
tucky, he;had almost no clianceiito secure an educa-
tion, iiaving never attended schooljbnt three months
in his^^life and then tiie school was of [the most
primitive character. In his youth he learned the
cooper's trade and;at the age of seventeen years
began life for himself. Attracted jby the oppor-
tunities [and advantages of the West, in 1831 he .ac-
companied Mason Cope to Schuyler County, 111.,
and four years later made a trip up Skunk River
and camped on Jefferson County soil. Having
collected about two thousand pounds of honey,
beeswax, etc., ha improvised a boat by digging out
two canoes and fastening them together. Having
floated down the river as far as Rome, he struck a
snag'and twirled upside down. This was in the
month of November. During the struggle to save
his boat from floating away he kicked oft' his shoes
and had to walk to Burlington, a distance of fifty
miles, bare-footed. There he had some hooks
made, and returning, grappled his barrels of honey,
wax, gum. etc., out of thirteen feet of water and
proceeded with his cargo to Carthage, where he
sold out.

On March 3, 1836, Mr. Huff was united in mar-
riage with Sarah Woodard, who was born July 6,
1814, in Middle Tennessee. Her mother was also
a native of that State but her father came from
North Carolina. Soon after his marri.age, Mr.
Huff returned to Iowa and made a settlement on
section 1, Cedar Township, Jefferson Count}', the
date of his arrival being June 17, 1836. The land
soon afterward came into market and as he had not
money enough to enter it, he sold his three hun-
dred and twenty acre claim which brought him
in enough to pay his debts and enter a one iuindred

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

629

and twenty-acre tract. Afterward, having sold that
farm, he bought a farm of two hundred and forty
acres in Buciianan Township, whieli lie improved
and on which he made his liome until 1874, when
he took up his residence in Fairfield.

In 1871, Mr. Huff was called upon to mourn the
loss of his wife who died on December 3. They
were parents of eight children — James D. ; William ;
Nancy, deceased ; Henry; Rebecca, deceased ; Jeffer-
son; Sarah, wife of George Mower; and Louisa.
James D. and Jefferson are also married. In politi-
cal sentiment Mr. Huff is a Democrat, having sup-
ported that party since he cast his first vole for
Jackson in 1832.

i^

HARLES Mcdonald, deceased, is num-
bered among the pioneer settlers of ^'an
Buren Count}', and at his death, vvhich oc-
curred in 1877, much sorrow was felt, for the com-
numity lost a good citizen, his neigh.bors a kind
friend, and his family a loving husband and father.
He was born in the North of Ireland, in 1813, hut
the family is of Scotch origin. When he was a
mere child his father died, and in 1818, with the
other members of the family, he was brought by
his raotiier to this country, they taking up tiieir
residence in Philadelphia, Pa. He there acquired
a limited education, and when a young man learned
the trade of a plasterer. He was married in Phila-
delphia, Pa., to Martha Mcf-iarvey, and shortly
afterward emigrated to La Grange, Mo., where he
followed his trade for some years. His next place
of residence was in Quincy, 111., after which he
made a settlement in Ft. Madison, Iowa, and in
1847 purchased land in Van Buren County, and
here removed in order to rear his family upon a
farm. Mr. McDonald came to the West in limited
circumstances, and not only overcame the hard-
sl)ips and difficulties of pioneer life, but .surmounted
all obstacles whicli impeded his progress toward
the goal of prosperity. He performed the not
easy task of developing from the wild land a ri( h

and fertile farm, and at the same time carried on
his trade of plastering. He had no leisure time in
those days, but gave his attention solely to his
business, that he might provide for the wants of
his family and surround them with all the comforts
l)0ssible.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. McDonald were born ten
children, of whom the following lived to adult age:
Maggie, wife of James l')ick, a prominent farmer
of Lee County, Iowa; Mattie, at home; Ella, wife
of Charles E. Ran, of JMason City, Iowa; Archi-
bald, a resident of Bonaparte; Col well, a farmer of
Harrisburg Township; Charles W., who makes his
home in Council Bluffs; and Robert, who is also
living in Harrisburg Township. Helen died at the
age of nineteen ; the other two members of the
family died in childhood.

In politics Mr. McDonald was a stanch Demo-
crat, was well posted in political affairs, and could
always hold his own in an argument, but never
sought [)ublic office for himself. He was a man of
more than average ability, was well informed con-
cerning all questions of general import, and was
familiar with many of our standard authors. He
was especially fond of reading Burns, and could
quote page after pr.ge of his writings. In his views,
he was charitable; in his dealings, upright and
honorable, and his word was as good as his bond.
He died at his home in this county in 1877, re-
spected by all who knew him. His wife, who was
a most estimable lady, and the equal of her hus-
band in literary attainments, also has many warm
friends.

->^^^:^^^^^^^f^^

^ AMUEL p. ROWLAND is the owner of
a fine farm of four hundred acres lying
partly within Davis and parti}' within Van
Buren Countj-, his old homestead being
situated just across the border line iii the former
county. This gentleman, who is widely and favor-
abl}' known throughout the community, is a na-
tive of Delaware, born on the 4th of September,
1810. His parents, John and Deborah (Connell)

630

PORTRAIT AKD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

Rowland, were also natives of that State, where
our subject spent the days of his boyhood and
youth in the usual manner of farmer lads, he at-
tending school in the winter season anil working
on the farm in the summer months. When he had
arrived at years of maturity, he was married to
Miss Elizabeth Russell, a native of Delaware, born
February 22, 1813, and a daughter of Thomas and
Mary (Bower) Russell, who were also natives of
the same State. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Rowland was celebrated in Delaware in February,
1836, and unto them was born a family of eight
children, of whom four are now deceased. The
living are: Deborah Ann, wife of Thomas Price;
Robejt, Mary and Jonathan D.

The year 1840 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Row-
land and his famil}- in the Territory of Iowa, where
he has since resided. He h.as made farming his life
work, and in that pursuit has acquired a hand-
some competence, which supplies him witii all the
necessaries and cc>raforts of life. As before stated
his original homestead is situated just across tlie
boundary line in Davis County. l)iit his line farm
of four hundred acres also lies pirtl}' in "\'an
Buren Count}-, where he has resided for the
past seventeen years. He is an honored pioneer
of the community, and has been a witness of tlie
entire growth and progress of Iowa made during
the past half century. He is respected by all wiio
know him, being a man whose upright ch,aracter
has won him universal regard.

3i^%L*i«

AMUEL McWHIRTER, deceased, was, to
many of our readers, known as a leading
and successful farmer of Cedar Township,
Jefferson County, as well as a valued citi-
zen, and we therefore take [ileasure in presenting
unto them a sketch of his life work. He was born
in Count}- Antrim, Ireland, in the j^ear 1820, and
spent his boyhood days in a manner usual to farmer
lads in that country. The occupation to which lie
was reared continued to be his business until ISi'.K

when he determined to brave the dangers of an
ocean voyage and seek his fortune in America.
'Ihe water was crossed in safety and on the 28th
of May of that year he arrived in Fairfield with a
cash capital of -15, but energy and thrift were
among his characteristics, and instead of feeling
discouragement at linding himself in an unknown
land among strangers he set to work to gain the
means of livelihood, and as the result of economy
and industry was some time afterward enabled to
purchase eight}' acres of wild land on section IG,
Cedar Township. A little log cabin constituted
the irap'-ovements at that time, but hard work and
good management made many changes and in-
creased his acreage until he was the owner of two
hundred and twenty-five acres of g<Jod farming
land at the time of his death.

Mr. McWhirter chose as a comi)anion on life's
journey Miss Martha Logan, and on the 30th of
November, 1819, their union was celebrated. The
lady, who was born in. County Antrim, Ireland,
February 14, 1824, crossed the ocean in the same
vessel in which her husband was a passenger. She
was the only one ^)f her family who sought a home
in the New World, but Mr. McWhirter was one
of four brothers who came to this country. Both
he and iiis wife were of Scotch- Irish descent and
were reare<l in the faith of tlie Scotch Prefbyterian
Church. Upon their marri.age they began life in
the little log cabin before mentioned, which con-
tinued to be IhcLr home until increased financial
resources enabled them to replace it by a more
commodious residence. Ten children were born
unto them, but four died in infanc}-. The living
are: John, who married Lucinda Tremble}' and is
a farmer of Clay County, Neb.; David A., who
wedded Martha Terniham and farms in Lane
County, Kan.; Mary, at home; Jennie M., wife of
Thomas Louden, a resident farmer of Cedar Town-
ship; and Robert L. and William, who are operat-
ing the home farm.

The McWhirter family has lived in Jefferson
County for forty-one years and is one of the sub-
stantial and highly esteemed families of Cedar
Township. Like the father, the sons are all sup-
porters of Democratic principles. As every true
American citizen should be, he was interested in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

631

political affairs, but never sought ofBcial recogni-
tion, content to devote bis time and energies to his
Inisiness, which prospered greatly under his energy
and excellent management. He died on the 31st
of December, 1886, respected by all who knew liim
and lamented by many fiiends. He lived a life of
uprightness, and when earth's pilgrimage was ended
was ready to enter upon the home prepared for the
pure and good of this earth.

•*«j^k«-:^i^

<?5tf-rtff«<^-

JOSEPH V. CLARK, who is engaged in
farming and stock-raising on section 27,
Liberty Townshi|), Jefferson County, is a
native of Van Buren County, born October
29, 1849. His parents, Julius L. and Emeline
(Carson) Cl.trk were natives of Ohio, and a sketch
of their lives is given on another page of this work.
The family was founded in America during Col-
onial days and on both the paternal and mater-
nal sides the grandfather served in the Revolution-
ary War. The family also had its representatives
in the late war.

The subject of this sketch, who was the eldest m
a familf of nine children, spent his early boyhood
days in his native county and at the age of sixteen
years accompanied his parents to Jefferson County,
where he grew to manhood. He acquired his edu-
cation in the district schools of the neighborhood,
and upon the home farm remained until his mar-
riao^e, which was celebrated on the 18th of Febru-
ary, 1873, when he was joined in wedlock with
Miss Mary Ella Tower, daughter of Joseph and
Philena (Burton) Tower. Her father was born in
Hamilton County, Ohio, in 1825, and was left fa-
therless at the age of four, after which he removed
with the remainder of the family to Ri|)ley County,
Ind. His grandfather served in the earlier wars of
this country, and his great-grandfather, who was a
native of England, was among the pioneer settlers
of this land. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Tower
took place on the 3 1st of May, 1849, and unto them
have been born a family of eight children: Sybil

S., the eldest, born March 18, 1850, is now the wife
of F. IMarion Green, of Des Moines; Mary Ella was
born February 24, 1852; Julia Josephine, boin
May 20, 1854, is the widow of Thomas J. Carr;
Frank Burton was born October 2, 1857; William
Everett, born January 4, 1860, married Belle Fer-
guson, of V^an Buren County; Emma Orpha. born
August 3, 1864, is now living with her father; and
two children died in infancy. Mrs. Tower who
was born December 13, 1828, died December 14,
1867. She was a descendant of the famous Dudley
family and a daughter of Hiram and Sybil (Dudley)
Burton, the latter an authoress of considerable re-
nown, who at the advanced age of eighty -two wrote
a reminiscence of early Indiana Methodism, which
was published in the Western Christian Advocate
in 1885. She died in her eighty-sixth year. She
was a Methodist, and lived to see the fourth gener-
ation. Mrs. Clark was born in Ripley Count}', Ind.,
February 24, 1852. She emigrated with her parents
in her third year to Wapello County, Iowa, from
which place they removed, in 18G5, to Van Buren
County. She was educated in the public schools
of the countj',

The year succeeding their marriage, Mr. and Mrs.
Clark spent in Wayne County, after which they
took up their residence in Jefferson County, trad-
ing the farm in the former county for eighty acres
of laud on section 27, liiberty Township. To this
has been added a fort}' acre tract and now a highly
improved farm of one hundred and twent}' acres
pays tribute to the care and cultivation of its owner.
Besides his own land, Mr. Clark is also opei'ating
about two hundred acres of leased land. He has
introduced into the county a new variety of oats,
known as the "Welcome" which he thinks will rap-
idly gain public favor. He is regarded as a most
successful agriculturist and is also a successful
stock-raiser. He makes a specialty of Poland-China
hogs, breeding in large numbers and his other stock
is of equall}' good grades. A short time since he
sold a Norman gelding, five 3ears old, which weighed
seventeen hundred and fiftj' pounds. As before
stated, he takes rank among the leading fanners, of
the cotnmunit}', and in enterprises of public inter-
est is also found ready to aid with his support and
influence in their advancement. For several years

632

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

he has been a membei- of the School Boarrl. and to
his strong arlvocac}' and untiring efforts is largel}'
due llie introduction of tiie graded system into the
schools, a measure wbicli lias proved of great ad-
vantage. To seenre tlu's, however, he had to over-
come the influence of an opposing majority, but
with ceaseless energy he labored until the desired
result was obtained. Politically', be is a Republican
and socially is a member of'the Temperance Alli-
ance.

To the home of Mv. and Mrs. Clark have come
four children, three of whom are yet living, namely :
Clara M., the eldest, who was born January 28,
1874; Lester Tower, born April 1, 1877; Inez Josie,
May 18, 1883; the fourth child was born in 1880
and lived but three days.

-i^^"'

AME.S SHP:R1\IAN SHEPHERD was born
in Sangamon County, 111., December 4-,
1834. His parents, James and Jane (Sher-
man) Shepherd, were natives of Maryland
and North Carolina respectively. In October,
1844, tlie family removed from Springfield, 111., to
Kcosauqua, then Van Buren County, then Terri-
tory' of Iowa. Here for the next six years the
fathei' published the loiva Democrat, and also kept
hotel until 1877. His mother died September 22,
1870, aged sixty-five 3'ears, and his father Septeai-
ber 14, 1880, aged eiglity years and six months.
Of their twelve children, five sons, the oldest sixty-
eight, and the youngest fort3' years old, are living.
The subject of this sketch is next to the oldest
living. He was first employed in Jiis father's
printing-office when only ten years old, the work
at that time, however, not being steady, as he at-
tended school regularly until sixteen years old. He
then served a regular apprenticeship of four years,
and jour work one year. In April, 1856, he was
appointed Postmaster of Keosauqua, holding that
office until the fall of 1860, when ht resigned, he
•md his father having puchascd the Bes Moines
J7f\''.'s, at Keosauqua. to which he devoteil his

whole attention until the fall of 18().5, when tiiey
sold the office. For the next fifteen years he was
variously employed — .it his trade, insurance, real-
estate, running a hotel, selling patent rights, and
for two seasons cutting stone. The 1st of Janu-
ary, 1880, he removed from Keosauqua to Cory-
don. Waj'ne County, Iowa, where he published tl^ie
Corydon Democrat, for two and a half years, and in
the fall of 1883 was elected County Superintendent
of Schools. He held this office during the years
1884 and 188.5, and in November of the latter year
he bought the Jb«;-Hrt?news|)a[)er at Mt. Aj'r, Ring-
gold Count}', Iowa, of which he is the present pro-
prietor, and has made it the leading official paper,
as well as the fearless organ of the Democratic
party in the county. He moved to Mt. Ayr from
Corydon January 6. 1886.

Mr. Shepherd was married to Miss Mary Moore,
daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Moore, January
9, 1862, and to them four children were born, two
daughters and two sons, of whom three are living:
Minnie (now Mrs. Hartshorn), Littie J. and George
S. The other son, Alvah C, died in Corydon,
November 7, 1881. Mrs. Mary Shepherd died in
Mt. Ayr, May 28, 1890, aged fifty-one years and
nine montlis. Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd have been
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church since
1 8.58.

Mr. Shepherd was made a Master Mason in Keo-
sauqua Lodge, No. 10, in January, 1856, a Royal
Arch Mason in 1858, and Knight Templar in 1878.
He has filled the office of Master in three different
lodges, .ind is the present Master of F"ailh Lodge.
No. 179, at Mt. Ayr. He is a zealous Mason, a
conservative Democrat in politics, and endeavors to
live a consistent Christian life.

^--

■/AMES SHEPHERD was born in Hagers-
town, Md., March 15, 1800. At the age of
one year his parents moved to Clinton
County, Ohio, where he grew to the age of
manhood and learned the shoemaker's trade. On

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

G33

March 7, 1821, he was luanied to Jane Sherman,
andlived in Clinton Count}- until 18-27, when, with
liis wife and two children, he moved to Salem,
then in Sangamon County, 111., where he worked
at his trade, und also n]illing, farming' and other
pursuits. He was twice elected Tax Collector of
Sang-amon Count}-, and moved to Springfield in
1838 or '39. He was a warm personal friend of
Abraliam Lincoln and Steplien A. Douglas. Dur-
ing the campaign of 1840, he was engaged as as-
sistant editor of the State Register, and made sev-
eral speeches in the count}' advocating the election
of Martin Vau Buren to the Presidency. In May,
1843, he made a trip to the Territory of Iowa,
looliing for a location to establish a newspaper,
and selected Keosauqua, Van Bnren Count}-, as tiie
point, and in the June following sent his eldest son,
Jesse M. and J. L. T. Mitchell, both printers, who
had learned the trade in .Springfield, to take charge
of and run the paper, the first issue of which appeared
July 3. 1843, and was called The Iowa Democrat
and Des Moines River Intelligencer, which tliey con-
tinued to publish until July 1, 1844, when he pur-
chased the interest of J. L. T. JMitchell, and dropinng
the latter part of the name, continued the pnl)lica-
tioii of the loiva Democrat wliXx firm name of James
.Shepherd & Son, until 1847, when he bought Jesse
M. out, and became full owner, and continued its
publication until 1850, when he sold the olfice. On
the removal of his family to Keosauqua, October
8, 1844, he went into the hotel business, in the
Des Moines House, near the court-house, now torn
down, and ran it one year, and in the spring of
1847 bought the Ktosauqua House, on Front
Street, which he continued to run until 18P6, when
he sold it and went on a farm, snd two years
later bought a house on First Street, and opened
out in the hotel business again, which he continued
to run until the death of his wife, September 22,
1870. In 1845 he put in a bid for and was
awarded the contract for carrying the mail from
Keosauqua to Ottumwa, and also to Bloomfield.
He w.as twice a candidate for the legislature, but
failed of an election, but was frequently elected to
minor offices, and was a Justice of the Peace for
years. In 1860, he in connection with his son, James
S. bought the Des Moines News, published in Keo-

sauqua. being the same printing press and office he
shipped to this place in 1843. which paper they
continued to publish until the fall of 1865, when
they sold the office.

In the fall of 1870, just after tlie death of his
w-ife, his daughter, Mrs. Delazon Smith, arrived
from Oregon, and in December, on her return, he
accompanied her to her home in Alhan}-, Linn
County, and was with her at her death, January 1,
1871. From Albany he went to his son, Jesse M.,
in Baker City. Ore., where he remained until the
fall of 1871, w-hen he returned to Keosauqua, and
again took charge of the hotel until 1878, when he
-again made a trip to Baker City, Ore., in the
spring, and returning home again to Keosauqua in
the fall, where he remained until his death, Septem-
ber 14, 1880.

Mr. Shepherd w.as made a Master Mason, and
received the chapter degrees in Springfield, 111.,
and in 1845 was a charter member and first Master
of Keosauqua Lodge, No. 10. and continued its
Master for a number of years. While in Illinois
he was Colonel of a regiment of State Militia, and
his sword is now the propertj' of Keosauqua Lodge,
No. 10, by his gift. He was also one of the first
members and High Priest of Moore Chapter, No.
23, at Keosauqua, and was a zealous Mtison and a
prominent member of the Grand Lodge and Glrand
Ciiapler of the State. In early life he was con-
verted and became a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and continueil faithful until
called home to his Master. In tlie latter years of
his life he was commissione<l a local preacher, and
was a worthy worker for Christ. He was the father
of twelve children, six sons and six daughters, all
of whom except five sons had preceded him to that
heavenly home, where their mother had gone to
give them welcome. Of the five sons still liv-
ing, three are now engaged in the newspaper busi-
ness, the eldest, Jesse M., in Baker City, and the
youngest, Stephen H., at A'ale, Ore., and James S..
at Mt. Ayr. Iowa; the other two, Charles W. is a
Methodist Episcopal minister, member of the Iowa
Conference, now stationed at WinSeld, Iowa, and
the other, Lewis C, is a harness-maker and resides
at Mt. Ayr. In politics, James Shepherd was a
Jacksonian DeuTiciat, and although not a politician.

634

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

ns that term is understoofl to-day, be was nii ear-
nest advocate of his convictions, a forcible speaker
and writer, and ready at all times to meet his
opponents either on the stump or through tlie
press.

l^ELAZON SMITH was born Octobers, 1816,
I 1 in New Berlin. Chenango County, N. Y.
J*^ His parents were of that medium class of
society from whicli many honored names have
sprung. Early bereft of a mother's care (she died
when he was in his ninth year), he was thrown upon
liis own resources, and from that period until his
decease he struggled forward in the stern conflicts
of life; sometimes successful, sometimes defeated;
but never despairing. At the age of fifteen, with
all liis worldly possessions tied in a small bundle,
he started on that westward path which he pursued
tbrt)Uoh life until he reached its fartherest limits
and found a grave u])0u the shores of the PaciBc.
He stopped in Rochester, N. Y., about three years,
with a near relative, assiduousl}' laboring to acquire
an education, and thus laying its foundation, he
has ever since continued striving to expand and
improve his mind, and to better qualify himself
for the duties and responsibilities of life. From
Western New York he journeyed to the manual
labor school of Oberlin, Ohio, where he spent two
years. Thence he went into a law office at Cleve-
land, Ohio, as a law student. While there he com-
menced to write for the public press. His inclina-
tions and talents pointing out such a course, and
an opportunity soon offering, he assumed the edi-
torship of a paper called the WaicMnan, published
in Rochester, N. Y. In this position he employed
himself for two years, still devoting what attention
he was able to his law studies. In 1840 he was the
editor of a political paper called the Jeffersoniati.
Afterward, in the same year, he succeeded to the
editorial conduct of the Western Herakl. In 1842
he established the paper at Dayton, Ohio, called
the Dayton Empire. In 1843 he tslablisiied the
Miamian in the same place. During the years of

1840-1844, in addition to his editorial labors, he
made electioneering campaigns in the States of
New York, Oiiio and Pennsjlvania. In 1844 he
was appointed a special commissioner of the United
i»tates to the Republic of Ecuador, in South Amer-
ica. He was clothed with full powers, but finding
himself unable from the convulsed and disorgan-
ized condition of the country to accomplish his
mission he returned in 1846, after an absence of
less than a year, and settled himself in Keosauqua,
Iowa. He here occupied himself considerably in
political affairs. In 1848, during the Presidential
, canvass, he edited tlie loica Democrat, published
by James Shepherd.

In 1837 Mr. Smith was married to Miss Eliza
Voke, in Rochester, N. Y. Of this unign, which
continued about nine years, only a son survives.
In 1848 he was married to Miss Mary Shepherd,
daughter of James Shepherd, at Keosauqua. Of
this union, which was broken by his death ten 3'ears
and six months later, five children were born, all
of whom, except one son, Delavau, now residing in
Oregon, have passed to the beyond, the mother
also dj'ing Januarj' 1, 1871.

In the spring of 1852, true to his westward in-
stincts, Mr. Smith, with his family, start-^d across the
plains for Oregon. He arrived at Portland late in
the season, wearied, poor and destitute, but by no
means dismaj'ed. He established a home in Linn
Count}', where he continued to live until his death,
which occurred November 18, 1860.

Until April, 1851, Mr. Smith was irreligious. In
that year, 1851, under the labors of Henry Clay
Dean, he sought and obtained religion at Keosau-
qua, Iowa; his conversion being thorough, he im-
mediatel3' began laboring for Christ, and a great
revival resulted. As soon as the case would per-
mit he became a preacher of the Gospel, and was a
power in the pulpit. lie maintained his Chris-
tianity to the end, but on entering public life again
in Oregon, he abandoned the pulpit for the ros-
trum and became the le.nder of his part}-, as well as
at the head of the profession of law in Oregon.
He was three times elected to the Legislature, and
elected Speaker of the Lower House, which he
filled with marked ability; he was an honored
member of the Constitutional Convention, and at

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

635

the first session of the Legislature after the aflop-
tioii of the constitution and the admission of Ore-
gon into the Union, he was chosen one of the
United States S,enators. He was a natural orator,
and a powerful speaker on the stump. He also, in
connection with his hrolher-in-law, J. M. Shepherd,
puhlishcd the Oregon Democi'at at Alhuny . While
in Iowa he joined the Masons, and was a worthy
member of the fraternit)' until his death, beloved
by his brothers, and received their care and atten-
tion during his fatal sickness and death, which oc-
curred at Portland, Oregon, and his remains were
taken to Albany, his home, where they were laid to
await the general resurrection.

"\f^ ETER MARSAN, one of the first pioneers
I ])' of V:in Buren County, was born in L'As-
^ sumption. Province of Quebec, Canada,

I \ October 4, 1812, of French parentage. He
learned the trade of a miller and milhvriglit and in
the autumn of 1833 came to the United States,
making a settlement in Troy, N. Y., where he was
employed at his chosen occupation. In that city on
the 4th of November, 1835, he wedded Miss Mar-
garet Mclntyre, daughter of Hugh and Sarah
(Fleming) Mclntyre. She was born in Liverpool,
England, December 5, 1814, and having lost her
father in childhood came to America with her
mother in 1827, and settled at Troy, N. Y. Her
father was of Scotch and her mother of English
birth. The latter accompanied her daughter and
her family to Iowa and died in Van Buren County
February 28, 1856.

Mr. and Mrs. Marsan emigrated to Pike County,
III., in 1836, and located in Rockport, continuing
lliere to make their home until March, 1838, when
they crossed the Mississippi into the Wisconsin
Territory, now the State of Iowa, and located at Beu-
toMsport, Van Buren County, where for a short
time he kept a hotel. Mr. Marsan, in the spring
of 1840, bought a stock of goods and opened a
small store at Farmii.oton. A curious incident

happened lo the family in March, 1839, which de-
serves mention. The Sac and Fox Indians had
camped not far distant from the little white settle-
njent and members of the tribes had been frequent
visitors at the home of our subject, where they
were well treated and were often fed. In March,
1839, as the Indians had loaded their canoes and
completed their preparations for removal down the
Des Moines River to the Mississippi, Chief Keokuk
and one of his seven wives, a middle-aged squaw,
came for some breakfast. Mrs. Marsan gave them
a good meal and then told them to move on. While
she was in an adjoining room tliej' took their de-
l)arture very suddenly, and on her return to the
former apartment she missed her eight months
old baby boy, Joshua, fiom his cradle. She at once
sought the child in another room where she thought
it might have been placed on a bed, but not find-
ing it she began to inquire of the family about,
when a little three-year-old boy spoke up and said:
"That dirty, black woman took baby." Mrs. Marsan
at once ran out after her and met a neighbor, John D.
Sanford, to whom she told her trouble. He replied
that he had just |)assed tlie woman who was carry-
ing something concealed under her blanket. Call-
ing up a large dog that belonged to the family, the
Maisans and Mr. Sanford followed the squaw on a
run, calling to her to stop, but instead of heeding
the command she made a run for the canoes. The
dog was then put on her track and in a few min-
utes had the woman's blanket in his teeth and her
at a stand-still. When Mr. Sanford came up with
her and demanded the baliy she refused to surren-
der it but ran back to the house with it and placed
it in the cradle. When the mother asked why she
stole the clnld, the squaw stepped to the fireplace
and wetting a finger on her lips she touched it to
the smutty wall ;uid then made a black mark down
each of the baby's fat cheeks, signifying that she
wanted to take it awiiy to paint it. As the child
grew up he was often tvvitted with being an Indian
boy. The same youngster, when a little more than
three j'ears old, had anotlier adventure when his
life was saved b}' the same dog that caught the
squaw who was carrying him off. It ha^jpened one
day while the family were living in Big Fox, in
Jackson Towusliii), that the mother again missed

636

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

the child and, going in search of lier boy along the
river bank, foiinfl liim wet and insensible, with liis
liair fnll of sand, well up on the baulv, while the
dog stootl over him licking his face. When the
mother picked him iq) the water ran out of his
mouth and she had great difficulty in restoring him
tu consciousness. The child was tuo young to
give an explanation of how he fell into the river
but complained of his arm being hurt where he
said, "The dog bit it." On examination one arm of
the boy showed the print of the dog's teeth where
he evidently had seized it while taking iam from
the river. That he had saved the child's life cannot
be doubted.

Mr. and Mrs. Marsan were the parents of seven
children, six sons and one daughter. John, the
eldest, married PhcEbe Allen and is now a widower
living in Little River, C'al. He was a soldier of
the late war; Joshua was a member of the Fifth
Illinois Infantry and died in the fall of 1867 from
the ( ffects of disease contracted in the service;
Margaret Ella is tlie wife of James Alfred Russell,
of Milton, also a soldier; George, one of the boj'S
in blue, is single and now ranching in Arizona;
Henry L. married Nettie Holland and is a farmer
of Jackson Townshi]). Van Buren County; Alonzo
wcil<led Emma McLean and resides in Milton; one
child died in infancy in Pike County, III.

iMr. Marsan remained in Bentonsport until the
spring of 1840, when lie removed with his family
to Farmiuglon, where he carried on a store until
1841, at which lime he went to Big Fox, in Jack-
son Township. There he built a saw and grist-mill
in company with his brother, John B. Marsan, and
also opened up a farm, continuing the dual employ-
ment until his death, which occurred February 28,
18.i6. In politics, he was a Democrat and in his
religious views a Methodist. He was upright and
honorable in his intercourse with his fellows-men
and was an esteemed citizen.

On the •27th of August, 1857, Mrs. Marsan be-
came the wife of John B. Marsan, a youngei
brother of her deceased husband. He was born in
L' Assumption, Lower Canada, on the 16lh of Feb-
ruary-. 1816, and, removing to the United States,
joined his brother Peter in Troy. Together they
came to Iowa in an early da}- and they were asso-

ciated in the building and operating of the mill at
Big Fox and in the improvement and cultivation
of the farm. Mr. Marsan met with the misfortune
of losing a limb in 1844, which resulted from dis-
ease contracted while working in the water about
tlie mill. He is a Republican in politics and a
member of the Methodist Protestant Church. He
and his wife have resided in Milton since 1865,
covering a period of a quarter of a century and
have made many friends among its best citizens.

^^^

HRISTIAX W. SLAGLE. Among the law-
yers who have stood in the front rank at
'/ the Jefferson County bar, none are more
worthy a representation in this vc>lume than the
gentleman whose name heads this sketch. Whether
as an advocate and judge of law, or a citizen, he is
universally accorded the highest position. Of his
ancestry, little is known, but as a man is the result
of two forces — heredity and environment — it must
follow that his parents, Jacob and Martha Slagle,
possessed rare endowments of mind and soul.

Christian W. Slagle was born in Washington,
Pa., on the 17th of November, 1821. His educa-
tional advantages were the best the times afforded.
After attending the schools of his native town, he
entered Washington College and graduated with
honor from the classical course in 1840. Having
taught school for a 3ear in Acconjack County, Va.,
he returned to Washington and began the study of
his chosen ))rofession in the law ofHce of Hon.
Thomas M. T. McKenuon, a man of excellent at-
tainments and wide reputation. After two 3'ears of
careful reading, Mr. Slagle was admitted to the
bar in 1843. Thereupon he and George Acheson,
his life-long friend and companion, formed a part-
nership with the intention of establishing themselves
in the legal profession somewhere in the Territory
of Iowa. After six weeks travel by the then
rapid means of conveyance, they arrived in Fair-
field on the 23rd of April. For thirty-eight years
the sign, --Slagle & Acheson," announced their con-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

63:

tinued business relations and ilurino; all those years,
the sweet friendsliii) of childhood was never marred
nor broken and was severed only when deatli
called Mr. Aclieson away. They did not experi-
ence a starving time, as many a young law firm
has done, but business came to them from the first.
Faithful to their clients and the honor of their pro-
fession, they became widely known as conscientious,
able lawyers. The volume of their business con-
tinued to increase through the years, l)ut by me-
thodical and well directed efforts they were enabled
to attend carefully to all details of their own busi-
ness and also take an active part in social affairs.
That as an advocate, a counselor and a judge of
the law, Mr. Slagle was held in high esteem, is
evinced by the fact that his name was freely spoken
of in connection with the offices of Representative in
Congress, Judge of the District and Circuit Courts,
Governor of the .State and other responsible posi-
tions. In 1 856 he declined a district judgeship of the
State and in 1880 he refused to accept the nomi-
nation of Circuit Judge tendered by the Republican
convention held in Oskaloosa. Such was his love
for an unostentatious life that lie refused all polit-
ical preferment. But it was as a citizen that his
character shone out with brightest lustre. What-
ever looked toward the improvement of the town,
-the count}' or society-, he assisted liberally with his
time, his talents and his means. When in 1849, it
was proposed to establish a branch of the State
University in Fairfield, Mr. Slagle was one of the
warmest friends of the project. Ten years later
when the independent school district of Fairfield
was formed, the subject of this notice was chosen
a member of the board of directors and thus aided
in establishing the first graded school in the count}'.
Much credit is due him for iiis untiring efforts in
the upbuilding and maintaining of Parsons College
of which he was an honored trustee for a number
of years. From 1868 until his death in 1882 he
was a member of the Board of Regents, of the State
University, In 1877, through the resignation of
Dr. Thatcher, the President's chair in the State
University became vacant and the board unani-
mously elected Mr. Slagle to fill the vacancy. Af-
ter much importunity, he was induced to accept,
though at great personal sacrifice, for his partner haa

become incapacitated for hard work, leaving him
with the extensive business of the law firm on his
hands. In this, as in every other position to which
he was called, he showed himself master of the sit-
uation, though he held it only until a suitable per-
son could be found to take his place.

The Fairfield Library and Museum, containing
more than ten thousand volumes, and over six
thousand specimens, is a monument to the enter-
prise, energy and liberalitj' of a number of the
leading citizens of Fairfield. Mr. Slagle was one of
the first and most earnest workers in its erection. He
was one of the first trustees of the Library Associa-
tion in which position he remained until the close of
his life. If any business enterprise was on foot, Mr.
Slagle could always be depended upon to aid in its
promotion. He labored hard to procure the rail-
roads with which Fairfield and the county are
blessed; was a stockholder, director and vice-pres-
ident in the First National Bank; one of the found-
ers of the Jefferson County Coal Company, a stock-
holder in the Fairfield Ice Company; in short, there
is scarcely an enterprise in city or county whose
success was not, in some degree, due to his gener-
osity. Nor were the farmers forgotten by him. He
was one of the founders of the Jefferson County
Agricultural Society and at the meeting of the so-
ciety October 15, 1853, oflfered a resolution which
resulted in the organization of the State Agricultu-
ral Society — now the State Fair.

Politically Mr. Slagle first espoused the princi-
ples embodied in the old Whig platform. During
the agitation of the slavery question, he took a
strong stand against that institution and on the rise
of the Republican party adopted its principles.
Throughout the war, though incapacitated for ser-
vice himself, he did all in his power to ameliorate
the hard life of the soldier boys from Iowa and to
make the Union cause triumphant. In the Mas-
ter's vinej'ard, Mr. Slagle was a zealous worker, be-
ing for many years a trustee in the Congregational
Church of Fairfield. The cause of prohibition also
found in him a strong advocate and he was remark-
able for always being on the right side of every
question.

On the 26th of July. 1849, Mr. Slagle married
Miss Nancy M. Seward, a nativeof Guilford, Conn.

638

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

This union, which was also an ideal one, was blessed
with six cliildren. but Arlliur B., tiic first-born,
died in infancy; Fannie, is now the wife of Joseph
P. Bingaman, a resident of Pittsburg, Pa.; Vir-
ginia J., is the wife of Hon. James G. Berryhill,
one of the leading lawyers of Des Moines, Iowa;
Grace wedded Charles M. Junkin, one of tlie pro-
prietors of the P'airfiekl Ledger; Frank M. and
Walter S. are associated in business in Alton, Iowa.
On the 23rd of October, 1882, in his sixty-first
year, Mr. Slagle passed away from among the liv-
ing. In point of time his life was short, but if
'■we live in deeils, not years," then did he reach a
ripe age. The visible man is gone, but the im-
press of his life and character is left upon the in-
stitutions of liis county and State and upon the
lives and liearts of those with wliom he was asso-
ciated.

M. DICKSON is tlie proprietor of the
potter}', of Vernon, Iowa, and one of the
\1^ leading business men of Van Buren County.
He has carried on operations in this line for
some thirty-eight years. It was in April, 1852,
that he came to the county and purchased an old
pottery located in South Bentonsport, now Vernon.
Repairing the same, be embarked in business as a
manufacturer of stoneware and soon had a
flourishing trade, whicli continued with him until
1864, when his establishment was destroyed by
fire. As soon as he had rebuilt, which he immedi-
ately did, his old customers returned to him, and
many new ones added their names to the list of his
patrons. Fair and honest dealing won him the
( onRdeiice of the public, and the excellent quality
of liis ware lias secured him the trade wiiich yields
him a handsome income. This pottery is one of
the leading business enterprises of Vernon and
furnishes employment to five men.

Mr. Dickson is a native of York County, Pa.,
his birth having occurred , in 1826. Tlie parents
of the family of eleven children, of which he was

third in order of birth, were Robert D. and
Susanna P. (McCall) Dickson. His father was a
native of Scotland, and ere he left that country for
America, served under the British flag in the
famous battle of Waterloo as one of the Scottish
Grays. It was during the early years of his man-
hood that lie crossed the Atlantic to America and
located in Pennsylvania, where he became ac-
quainted with and married Miss McCall. Her
father, James McCall, was a native of Ireland, and
came to this country during the Revolutionary
AVar to aid England in her attempt to bring the
Colonies under suljjection to her rule, but his
sympathies were enlisted with the brave soldiers
who were struggling for freedom and, deserting
the British service, he donned the blue and buff
worn by the American troops and continued to aid
them until independence was achieved. He then
began arrangements for making a home in this
country. He entered land on the banks of the
Susquehanna River in York County, Pa., soon
afterwards married and settled upon his farm,
where he continued to reside until his deatli in
1833. To that farm came Robert Dickson to woo
his biide. They began their domestic life in the
Keystone State, but about 1828 removed to Mus-
kingum County, Ohio, where he purchased and
improved a farm. His wife died on the old home-
stead in tiiat county in 1849, and ten years later
Mr. Dickson crossed the dark river to meet the
loved one gone before.

Our subject was a babe of two years when his
parents emigrated to the Buckeye State. His boy-
hood days were spent in assisting his fathei- in the
labors of the farm and in attendance at the district
school of the neighborhood, which was taught in a
log house, such as were common at that day. and
such as many of the most famous men of the
nation acquired their rudimentary knowledge in.
He left Ohio in 1850, going to Winchester, Scott
County, 111., where he engaged in the pottery
business. It was there that in 1852 he was united
in marriage with Miss Melinda J. Hanback, a
native of Kentucky and a daughter of John and
Deborah (Edmonson) Hanback, who were born in
Ilopkinsville, Ky. At an early day, however,
they removed to Scott County, 111., where the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

63y

motlier spent her last dsiys, dyinjj in 18r)2. Four
years later Jlr. Hauback came to live with his
daughter, and in the home of our subject his death
occurre<l in 1)S7C.

Inimediatelj' after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs.
Dickson came to Vernon, Iowa, and tlieir home
has here been blessed by the presence of seven
children, but only four are now living — Robert
Leslie, who waskilled in the clay mill in 1863, at the
age of ten years; John Howard, who was killed in
a i-ailroad accident near St. Marys, Wyo.. while en
route to California in 1875, he being then eighteen
years of age; Mary A., now Mrs. Moore, of Pierce
City, Mo.; Charlie T., who wedded Miss Susie
Gaston in October, 1887, and is employed as
general agent on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St.
Paul Railroad at Luzerne, Mo.; Anna V., now Mrs.
Folker, of Vernon Township, Van Buren County;
Blanche, now Mrs. Fulton, of the same township;
and William Clayton, who died in infancy.

When Mr. Dickson came to the county travel-
ing was done by wa}' of the river and by wagon
trains. It was not until about 1857 that the rail-
road was built. Prior to that time there was
comparatively' little intercourse with the outside
world, for it was then no easy task to accomplish a
jourue}' as tlie roads were poor, being almost
impassable during the rainy period of spring and
fall. Tlie nearest market at that time was some
miles distant, and the work of improvement was
but just begun. In all possible ways he has aided
in everytlii)ig pertaining to the advancement of
the community, especially has he been instrumental
in bringing about the present excellent school
system. He, for some years, was a member of the
School Board, and has also served as Justice of the
Peace. In political sentiment he is a stanch
Republican, and socially is a Master Mason, hold-
ing membership in Bentonsport Lodge, No. 49,
A. V. & A. M., and La Fayette Chapter, No. 61,
R. A. M. In this organization he has held a
number of offices and is one of the prominent
members. Both he and his wife are members of the
Presb3'terian Church. Mr. Dickson was one of the
founders of that church in Bentonsport, and for
thirty -seven years has served in the otiicial capacity
of Ekier. He gives liberally to the support of the

church, is an active worker for its interests, and
lives a consistent Christian life in harmony with
his professions. Charitable and benevolent, he is
a friend to those"in need, and his sympathy and
material aid have cheered many hearts.

(ii Ife B. FRAME, residing on .section 25, Round
\/iJ/ I'''''^''''^ Township, is numlicred among the
Vtxv pioneer settlers of Southeastern Iowa. In
1841 he settled in the village of Salem, Llenry
County, and from that time has been identified with
the history of this community. He was born in
Wayne County, Ind., in 1836, his parents being
Joseph M. and Susan (Cohourn) Frame. His
father was born in Delaware in February, lSOy,but
in his youth went with his parents to Chester
County, Pa., where he grew to maturity. With
his father he learned the blacksmith's trade, which
occupation he followed during the greater part of
his life. At the age of twenty-six he left the
parental roof and was united in marriage with Miss
Cobourn, who was born in 1816. They reared a
family of five children, four sons and a daughter,
of whom our subject is the eldest. Julia, the
daughter, is the wife of W. W. Hogate, of Webster
County, Neb.; John R. is engaged in farming in
Republic County, Kan.; and James L. and Robert
A. are residents of Webster County, Neb. Having
for some time previous resided in Indiana, in 1849
accompanied by his famil}', Mr. Frame came to
Iowa and for four years engaged in blacksmithing
in .Salem. He then purcliased a farm in Henry-
County, upon which he made his liome until 1882,
when he removed to Webster Count}', Neb., where
he was living at the time of his death in the autumn
of 1888. The family circle was then broken for
the first time and the children and mother still sur-
vive him. Mrs. Frame is now living in Webster
County with her children.

The first thirteen years of his life W. B. Frame
spent in hi? native State, and since that time he has
been a resident of Iowa. He remained under the

640

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

parental roof until 1859, in which }ear his mar-
riage with Miss Harriet N. Tilfoni was celebrated.
Havinsj; mastered '; the blaeiismith's trade in his
father's shop, he followed that pursuit in Salem
until the spring of] 1860, when he removed to his
present farm, which was entered by Mrs. Frame's
father in 18.36, and a part of which was the first
land brolcen in the count}-. Devoting his energies
to farming and blacksraithing, he has there spent
the succeeding 3'ears, yet in the micjst of his busi-
ness cares he h.as found time to devote to public in-
terests. Any enterprise fur the benefit of town or
county meets with his hearty supiiort and co-
operation. Politicallj', he is a supporter of the Re-
publican part}', is a prominent man in local political
circles, and has frequently served as delegate to the
county and State conventions.

Mr. and Mrs. Frame have a pleasant home in
Round Prairie Township, where lliey are surround-
ed by many warm friends. The)' are parents of
five children, but only three are now living — Mary,
Susan and .loseph C. The deceased are John T.
and Julia, who died in infancj'. The mother is a
member of the Baptist Church, and Mr. Frame is a
non-afliliated Mason, having been initiated into
the mysteries of the order when twenty -one years
of age.

000

H,^ ON. GEORGE W. McCRARY, deceased.

)|J The citizens of Iowa feel a special interest
in him whose name heads this sketch and
l(^ the people of Van Buren Count}' are justly
proud of his brilliant record, as he was known per-
sonally to many of them, having been reared in
their midst. He was a son of James McCrary, one
of the esteemed citizens of the county. He was born
in Indiana on the 9th of August, 1835, but when
only a year old was brought by his parents to Iowa
and amid the wild scenes of pioneer life in Van
Buren County spent the days of his boyhood and
yontli. From his childhood he manifested a great
desire for learning, making every effort to obtain
an education and like tlie majority of our greatest

and best countrymen he was a self-made man. The
proud position to which he attained he won by his
own efforts and ability and greater honor is due
him from the fact. After attending the public
schools and mastering the common branches he at-
tended au acidemy and on the completion of his
school life entered the law office of -Samuel F. Miller,
late a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United
States. After a thorough course of reading Mr. Mc-
Crary was admitted to the bar in 1856, and the fol-
lowing year his official career began. Although
then but twenty-two years of age he was elected to
the Iowa Legislature for the te'/m of two years and
served acceptabl}' as a member of the Lower
House. It will readily be seen that he won the
confidence and respect of his constituents for in
1861 he was the choice of his district for the office
of State Senator, a position which he filled four
years. Fitted by nature to become a leader, he rose
from a place of comparative obscurity to a position
of prominence in the General Assembly of Iowa
and having gained a .State wide reputation he
was placed before the i)eople of the Nation as a
representative in the legislative halls of this great
commonwealth.

In 1868 George W. McCrary was elected to the
Forty-first Congress, being one of the 30ungest
members of that body and for three consecutive
terms he lield the office. In the Forty- first Con-
gress he was placed on the committees on naval
affairs, revision of the laws and elections, and dis-
tinguished himself as one of the best informed
lawyers in Congress on the subject of election laws.
In the Forty-second Congress he was made Chair-
man of the Committee on Elections and his manage-
ment was characterized by great fairness while his
reports were generally adopted without revision.
In the Forty-third Congress he was made Chair-
man of the Committee on Railways and Canals —
to which committee all questions of transportation
are referred — prepared a report on tlie constitu-
tional power of Congress to regulate commerce l3y
rail among the Slates, which was considered ex-
haustive and conclusive; and reported a bill on the
subject which he advocated with remarkable power
and which after a memorable debate passed the
House. Asa member of the Judiciary Committee

7pi /T^^ejC^Ltc^

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

643

in the Forty- fourth Congress, he was the author of
the bill providing for the re-organization of the
judiciary of the United States, which passed the
House bj' a large majority. He also proposed the
plan for having a joint committee to count the
electoral vote, took an artive part iu preparing the
electoral bill and in arguing the question before
the House. At tlie close of his Congressional ca-
reer, whicli expired !\Larch 4, 1877, Mr. MeCrary
accepted the position of Secretar}- of War proffered
him by President Hayes and was an influential
member of the Cabinet. Of liim the remark was fre-
quently made that "when the Secretary of War
speaks, all listen attentively." In 1879 he was
nominated by the President for the position of
Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of the
United States courts, which appointment was
unanimously confirmed b}' the Senate, the oltice
continuing for life. Undoubtedly Judge McCrary
was endowed by nature with superior gifts yet he
deserves the greatest credit for the position to
which he attained. Reared in obscurity among
the wilds of the Territory of Iowa, with little ad-
vantages for advancement, he yet overcame the
difficulties and disadvantages which lay in his
patli, working his way ujiward step by step to a
position of fame, becoming one of the honored
statesmen oftlie Nation. His colleagues respected
him, other men honored him and his friends revere
his memory. His death occurred at St. Josepii,
Mo., on the '23d of June, 181;)0, and his remains
were interred at Keokuk, Iowa.

-^^

ANDLEY HOLLISTER, deceased. It is
by written record that we perpetuate the
lives and deeds of those who have passed
from this earth, and as one who is worthy
of all respect being paid to his memory, we record
the sketch of Mr. HoUister. He was a native of
Ohio, born December 28, 1838, and was a son of
Samuel C. and Chhie (Duty) Hollister. His father
was born Fcliruar\- 7, 1811, in Connecticut, and

his mother was born in Oliiu, March 30, 1814.
His parents were zealous workers in the Christian
Chundi, Mrs. Hollister being a woman of excellent
abilit}' and prominent in public service.

When only seven years of age our subject was
deprived of the care and protection of a mother.
The first school he ever attended was taught by
President (Jarfield, and he received fair educational
advantage:; for that day. Ilis earl}' life was spent
in the usual manner of farmer lads, and he worked
with Ills father on the farm and in the dairy until
tlie breaking out of the late war. On the 21st of
August, 18G2, he enlisted in Company H, One
Hundred and Fort^'-flfth Pennsylvania Infantrv,
and served until the close of the struggle. As
at home, so on the battle-field, he was as gen-
tle as a woman though as brave as a Spartan,
and never shrank from any duty devolving upon
him. At the first battle of Fredericksburg ho re-
ceived a gunshot wound in the back of the head,
and for injuries sustained he was awarded a pen-
sion. At Richmond he was taken prisoner, but
succeeded in being paroled within six days after
his incarceration, and on the 31sl of May, 18G5, he
received his discharge.

When peace was declared and he was mustered
out of service, Mr. Hollister returned to Pennsyl-
vania, where he had made his home for some years
previous, and on the 7th of May, 1867, was joined
in wedlock with Khoda J. Burwell, who was born
in Crawford County, Pa., May 19, 1840. Her
father, Fiudlej' Burwell, also a native of Craw-
ford Count}', was born August 19, 1808, and her
mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Fonuer,
was born in Hunterdon County, N. J., August 4,
1810, but her girlhood days were mostly spent
in the Keystone State. Both are still living in
Crawford Counl3% and botii are members of the
Methodist Church. The father is a farmer lij- oc-
cupation. Of their family, which numl)ei'ed three
sons and three daughters, three are yet living.
Benjamin, one of the number, died from a wound
received at the first battle of Fredericksburg.

Although Mr. HoUister was not so long a resi-
dent of Jefferson County as many others, few of
her citizens were more widely or favorably known.
In November, 1867, accompanied by his biide of

644

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

a few months, he emigrated "Westward and made a
settlement about six miles south of Fairfield,
but afterward removed to a farm in Burlianan
Township, near Beckwith, and later removed to
section 29. where his family now lives, and where
he lived until his death. He was a wide awake
farmer and stock-raiser, enterprising and progress-
ire, and was tiie introducer of the first imported
Holstein cattle into Jefferson County. His pleas-
ant home, with its entire surroundings, indicated
the thrift and industry of tlie owner, and he was
readily accorded a foremost place among the rep-
resentative citizens of the community. In jjolitical
sentiment he was a Republican, and served two
terms as Township Trustee. He had no bad habits
and was an inflexible opponent of the liquor traf-
fic, while both he and his wife were active mem-
bers of the Christian Church. Open-hearted and gen-
erous, he gave with a free hand to all who needed
his aid, and for the advancement of educational,
social and moral interests. His death occurred'
on the 25th of September, 1889. While removing
the props from a newly-made cave, it fell in,
crushing him to death. He left his family well
provided for with a good farm of two hundred .and
seven acres well stocked. Only one child was left
to share with the mother her great loss — Findley
C, who was born Mayl.5, 1869. A younger son,
William R., born October 19. 1872, died August
22, 1878.

.v-^/,.^

-7"/B-^"sr

-N-

<*) AMES DUFFIELD,Se., deceased, one of the
honored pioneers of Van Buren County, lo-
cated his claim in Van Buren Township,
tlien a part of the Territory of Wisconsin,
in the autumn of 1836, .and the following spring
removed his family to their new home, accomplish-
inc the journej' by the meaus of a yoke of oxen
and a team of horses attached to the same wagon.
Mr. Duffield was a native of Maryland. His fa-
ther, however, wi;s born in Pennsylvania. He be-
came a resident of Marj-land and subsequently

emigrated on horseback across the mountains to
Jefferson Countj-, Oiiio, where he engaged in trad-
ing. In 1833, he removed to Fulton County. 111.,
and in 1837, accompanied by his wife and cliildien
he reached Van Buren County, Iowa. His wife, in
her maidenhood, was Miss Marietta J. Bjerly, a
native of Pennsylvania. Unto them were born ten
children, as follows: Maria, now Mrs. Funk, of
Caldwell, Kingman County, Kan.; John wlio is
married, resides in Van Buren County; William,
who was drowned in 1850, in Henry County;
George C. ; James, who is married and resides on
the old homestead ; Joseph, who died in Vicksburg,
Miss., in 1849; Elizabeth, wife of Thornton Ma-
thias. of Van Buren Township, Van Buren County;
J. H., who is married and lesides in Jerseyville,
111. ; Jane, who died in Ohio, at tlie age of three
years; and Henry D., wlio is married and living in
Van Buren County. These children are worthy
representatives of their honored parents and as the
result of tlieir early training have become useful
members of society and valued citizens of the vari-
ous communities in wliich tliey make their homes.
James Uuffield, coming as he did to "Van Buren
County in 1837, had to endure the hardships and
privations of pioneer life, such as grinding their
own corn for meal, going long distances to market,
etc. Indians then were more numerous than their
white neiglibors, wild game of all kinds was plenti-
ful and wolves were frequently killed near the set-
tlement. Neither was it an easy task to transform
the hitherto unimproved prairie into a rich and fer-
tile farm, but the work Mr. Duffield accomplished
through his energy, perseverance and industry.
His d.ays were greatly taken up by his business in-
terests, yet he found sufficient time to devote to
public affairs, especially if any enterprise for the
benefit of the community was the question in hand.
He did all in his power to promote the interests of
town and county and was a valued citizen. In po-
litical sentiment, he was first a Whig and afterward
a Republican, but never sought or desired political
preferment. He assisted in the organization of the
county and forming of the State; his life has left an
impress on the community and with the record of
its progress and advancement his history has been
inseparably connected. He died at his home in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

6 4, 5

Van Buren County, in 1876. after a long and use-
ful life and his wife was called to her final rest ten
years later. Both Mr. and Mrs. DufHeld died in the
eight3--sixth year of tiicir age.

EMUEL L. WILKIXS, who since 1855, has
resided in Jefferson County, is now en-
gaged in farming ou section 12, P^airfield
Townsiiip, and is one of the extensive land-owners
of the community. His possessions consist of
his home farm of five hundred and ninety-three
acres, together with a quarter section in Blaelc
Hawli Township and five acres in the city of Fair-
field.

Mr. Wilkins is a native of Delaware and a son of
Elijah and Mary Elizabetli (Lockwood ) Willvins,
who were also natives of the same State. lie was
born on the 23d of January, 1832, in Sussex
County, and wlien three years old was taken bj- his
parents to Preble County, Ohio, where he was
reared to manhood, receiving such educational ad-
vantages as the common schools of that da^- af-
forded. The family lived upon a farm and in his
youth he became familiar with the manner and
methods of conducting that business, but since at-
taining to mature years he has devoted his ener-
gies tL> other pursuits and engaged in various
enterprises. As before stated, the year 1855 wit-
nessed Ills arrival in Jefferson County, and until
1860 he was engaged in teaming. In the spring
of that year he made a trip to tlie West, spending
nine joars in Colorado, during which time ho was
employed in mining and freighting. In tlie early
part of 1869 we again find him in Jefferson County.
and, embarking in llie livery business in Fairfield,
he continued operations in that line for nineteen
years with marked success. He was a popular
livery man and his business prospered but in April.
1888 he retired, and removed to his farm on sec-
tion 12, Fairfield Township, in March, 1889.

In that townsiiip. on the 14th of April, 1870,
Mr. Wilkins was united in marriage with Miss

Susan DoUa Mitchell, daughter of H. B. Mitchell,
one of the leading citizens of the county. The
lad}- is a native of this county and by their union
have been born six children, but the}' have lost
one — Frankie M., who died at the age of fifteen
months. The other children, Frederick A.; Charlie
L., Lou A.; EfHe M. and Mary Anna are with their
parents.

This famil}' have a pleasant home in Fairfield
Township, where hospitality abounds and where
their many friends are sure of a warm welcome.
Their circle of acquaintances is large and by all
wlio know them the}- are held in high regard. In
jjiilitical sentiment Mr. Wilkins is a stalwart Re-
publican, and in religious belief his vvife is an Epis-
copalian.

^C

APT. LEROY S. ELBERT. It is not in the
loss of treasure, the expenditure of money,
the creation of an immense debt, the inter-
ruption to commerce, or the destruction of property
that the Christian patriot or the humanitarian
philosopher views the most baleful and lamentable
effects of war. To him it exists in the frightful loss
of life; in youth stricken down at the commence-
ment of existence; in strong men disabled in a vig-
orous maturity. He sees it in the new-made graves,
in the mourning hearts, in the desolate homes that
are found all over the land.

Every good citizen is an element of strength to
society and the State. In the wisdom, virtue,
courage, patriotism and intelligence of its citizens,
more than money, the wealth of a State consists;
and in the death of an individual in whom these
attributes and these virtues are combined, it suf-
fers its greatest loss.

Capt. Leroy S. Elbert, who died of typhoid
fever on the steamboat "City of Alton," below St.
Louis, September 13, 1863, at the early age of
twenty-flve, was the son of Dr. Elbert, of Van
Buren County, Iowa. The Captain w.is boin in
Logan County, Ohio, but his parents removing lo

646

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

this State wbile lie was very young, he became
thus one of Iowa's own sons, a fine representative
of the noble class of young men whose valor, in-
telligence and patriotism have sherl such a rich
lustre upon the name of our State. He entered
the military academy at West Point, in June, 1857,
at the age of eigiiteen. and graduated with honor,
July 1, 1861, esteemed by his te.achers and class-
mates for his scholarly attainments and the admira-
ble traits of his character. He was commissioned
Second Lieutenant in the regular service, and as-
signed to duty in what has become known as the
arm}' of the Potomac, then under Gen. McDowell.
Within a few days after joining the armj% the first
battle of Bull Run was fought. For bis gallant
bearing and the soldierly qualities displa)'ed by
him during that fight, he was promoted to a First
Lieutenancy and placed upon Gen. Pleasanton's
staff. During the Peninsular campaign of INIcCiel-
lan he served with fidelity', bravery and distinction
as aid to Gen. Emery. He was subsequently
transferred to the staff of Gen. Stoneman when
the latter was made Chief of Cavalry in the army
of the Potomac, with whom he continued until the
close of the famous raid made by Stoneman during
the great struggle of Hooker at Fredericksburg,
during all of which time Capt. Elbert displayed the
same iudgment, discretion and courage which lie
had exhibited from the commencement of his mili-
tary career, and which had secured for him the
confidence and regard of his superior officers and
of the War Department at Washington. Upon the
removal of Gen. Stoneman, Elbert was promoted
to a Captaincy and ordered to the command of
Company G., Third Regiment U. S. Cavalry, sta-
tioned at Memphis, Tenn. It was while in camp
there, that, on the 1st of September, he was taken
ill. Upon the 9th he started for the home of his
parents in Iowa, and upon tlie morning of the 13th
all that was mortal of the Captain became cl.aj', for
his spirit returned to the God who gave it.

We shall attempt no lengthy analysis of Capt.
Elbert's character, nor shall we become his eulo-
gist. To do it tiltingly and well would require an
abler pen than ours. But he needs it not at the
hands of any. We wdl, for the benefit of the liv-
ing, not of the dead, mention some of his most

coticeable characteristics. And first, he was a pa-
triot, ilevoted to his Government and country with
more than dial affection. He watched with con-
cern and indignation tiie smouldering fires of re-
bellion bursting forth in the South, and when
treason culminated in the attack upon Sumter, he
raised his voice for war, declaring it to be the plain
duty of the Government to use every man at the
nation's command to redress the wrong done our
flag, vindicate the supremacy of the Government,
sustain the majesty of the law, punish treason, and
save the Union from disruption and the country
from ruin. Anxious to enter the field and lend his
aid to the Government, he was with difficulty per-
suade<l to remain at West Point for the few weeks
necessary to finish his collegiate course, and as soon
as he had graduated, notwithstanding the law gave
him a furlough for sixty daj's, and he had not seen
his fami!}' for three years, he disclaimed this right,
and hurried to Washington to place himself and
his services at the disposal of tlie Government, not
that he loved his family less, only his country
more. And under all the circumstances, whether
in victory or defeat, he never waned in Ids support
of our rulers, or lost faith in the justice and ulti-
mate triumph of our cause. But again, he was a
moral man. Ha governed his life b}- the strictest
rules of moral rectitude, and always |>ossessing and
governed by an active principle of benevolence,
careful of the character and welfare of others when-
ever, in the circle of his acquaintance he saw one
stepping aside from the path of right or duly, and
entering u|)on a course that might lead to disgrace
or infamy, he w.as always first to warn him of his
danger and extend the helping hand to bring him
back to a life of virtue. Better than all, he was a
Christian; he was of that highest style of man — a
Christian soldier. A firm and sincere believer in
the truths of Revelation, he adopted them as his
rule of action ; as the standard by which he meas-
ured his life; and whether ui)on the battle-field or
in camp he entertained his Christian integrit\% and
expressed his firm assurance tliat "if this earthly
house of his tabernacle were dissolved he had a
building of God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens."

Seldom, if ever before, has it been our fortune

PORTRAIT AND BIOURAPIIICAL ALBUM.

647

to know a young man who was possessed of so
many admirable traits of character and so few
blemishes; one so universally beloved in iiis life
and regretted in his death by all that knew him, as
was Capt. Elbert.

An accomplished scholar, a genial companion, an
earnest patriot, an affectionate, dutiful son, a kind
and tender brother, an upright citizen, a brave
soldier, an efficient talented officer, and a sincere
Christian, his life was gentle and the elements so
mixed in him that nature might stand up and say
to all the world, this was a man.

Suoh as he was, we have lost him. ilis name is
another to be added to the long list of the noble
dead of our late war. lie furnishes another tie to
bind us to the country and tlie cause for which he
offered up his life. God forbid that his life and
example should be in vain; that we should falter in
a cause consecrated by his death.

In a quiet and secluded spot, near the home of
his parents, in Van Buren, amid the sorrowful at-
tention of a large and tearful crowd, consigned we
to dust the body of our noble young Captain,
mourning the mortal, but confident that the im-
mortal was at rest in the bosom of his Father and
his Grod.

The foregoing sketch was written by Hon. Sam
M. Clark, of Keokuk, in October, 1863.

ij|/^_^ON. JOSEPH C. KNAPP, who was among
the older lawyers and eminent jurists of
Iowa, settled at Keosauqua throe years be-
fore the Territory became a State. Through
nearly all its history as a commonwealth he was
conspicuous in its politics, as well as its jurispru-
dence. His name is thoroughly woven into its
annals, in all cases in a highly creditable manner.

Our subject was a native of the Green Mountain
State, and a son of P^benezer and Irene (Curtis)
Knapp, born on the 27th of June, 1813, in Berlin,
AVashington County. The Knapps were early set-

tlers of Massachusetts; the Curtises, in Hanover,
N. II. Ebcnezer Knapp was a farmer, a hard-work-
ing man himself, and reared his children in habits
of industry.

Joseph Knapp received a good academic educa-
tion in Montpelier, left his native State in 1833;
came as far West as Racine, Wis., then a part of
Michigan Territory; read law at first with the Hon.
Marshall M. Strong, and afterward with Hon.
E. G. Ryan, late Chief Justice of Wisconsin ;
practiced a few years in Racine, and in 1813
|)iished westward across the Mississippi River,
locating at Keosauqua, \'an Buren County. He wps
for some years a member of the noted law firm of
Wright, Knapp & Caldwell, his partners being the
Hon. George G. Wright, of Des Moines, and the
Hon. H. C. Caldwell, now Judge of the United
States District Court of Arkansas. It is not often
that the three members of a law firm rise to such
distinction.

Judge Knapp was appointed Prosecuting Attor-
ney by Gov. Clark, in 1846, and Judge of the
Third Judicial District by Gov. Hempstead in
1850. He was appointed by President Pierce
United States Attorney for the District of Iowa, in
1853; re-appointed by President Buchanan, and
held the office eight consecutive years. To the
otlice of Judge of the Second Judicial District he
was elected in the autumn of 1874, taking the
bench on the 1st of January, 1875. the term ex-
tending four years. The Judge had a long expe-
rience; was very learned in the law; had a natural
legal mind; was independent as a jurist, and with
his innate knowledge of what the law was or ought
to have been, his rulings were usually correct and
just. At an early day he was a circuit lawyer,
with an extensive practice in the courts of a num-
ber of counties. As his home business increased
he gradually abandoned his circuit practice, ex-
cept in special cases. To some extent he made
criminal practice a specialty, and in that had great
success. His arguments to jurors were always elo-
quent and forcible, but deep pathos more than any-
thing else made his appeals to the jury remarkably
effective.

Judge Knapp always affiliated with the Demo-
cratic party, and figured extensively in the politics

648

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

of tlie State. He was the Democratic candidate
for Supreme Judge in 1869, and for Governor in
1871, and received the votes of tlie Democratic
members of tlie General Assembly for United Slates
Senator at the session of 1872.

The .Judge was a Royal Arch Mason, and for
man}' j'ears a consistent member of the Congrega-
tional Church, and was never known to soil either
liis good Christian name or the ermine. In 1876
tlie distinguished honor was conferred upon him of
being appointed a member of the commission of
five persons, whose duty it was to investigate the
charges brought against the late Rev. Henry Ward
Beechcr. On the 10th of December, 1849, he was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Benton, of
Kt'osauqua, by whom he had three daughters. Keo is
the wife of Hobart A. Stoddard, of Little Rock,
Ark.; lo is the wife of Fred H. Hill, of Attica,
Mich., and Hannah Benton married Mr. Harris, an
attorney of Lamoure, Dak.

Judge Knapp had been in failing health for a few
\ears before his death, which occurred from kidney
rlisease, on the 27th of April. 1882. His remains
were interred at Keosauqua with Masonic honors,
and his funeral was the largest ever witnessed in
the city. Mrs. Knapp is still living and makes her
home with her youngest daughter. She is a woman
of culture and refinement, an active and sincere
Christian whose influence is exerted for the good
of society generally.

At a meeting of the members of the Van Buren
County Bar the following resolutions were unani-
mously adopted:

Besolred, That in the death of Joseph C. Knapp,
we have lost not onlj' one of our most able mem-
bers, but one whose reputation has long added
lustre to our bar. and distinction to the bar of the
State. One whose successes indicate the prizes to
be won in the profession, whose life illustrates what
integrity and well-directed industr)- may accom-
plish, and whose great genius might well be coveted
by the most ambitious. The oldest member of our
bar, he li.as long been its acknowledged leader and
has fallen in its front rank.

Resolved, That we will cherish his memory, emu-
late his example and strive to acquit ourselves of
the duties of life as faithfully.

"Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,

And departing leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.'

Resolved, That we herein' tender our sympathy
to bis family, and order that a copj' of these resolu-
tions lie presented to his bereaved wife, and also
request the District Court of the Second Judicial
JJistrict of Iowa, that a copy hereof together with
the preceding biographical sketch be spread upon
the records of that court.

RoBEKT Sloan,
RuTLEDGE Lea,
W. A. AVoRK,
J. F. Smith,
Ben Johnston,
War. MooRE,

Committee.
Dated April 27, 1882.

■p>j,OBERT A. DOUGHERTY, one of the early
settlers of Jefferson County, residing on
section 8, Cedar Township, was born in
Jj West Middletown, Washington County,
Fa., March 16. 1821, and is of Irish-Scotch de-
scent. His parents, Edward and Abigail (Mc-
Comb) Dougherty, were also natives of Washington
County, but his paternal grandparents came from
Scotland. On his father's side he is of Irish de-
scent, and on his mother's side of Scotch. His
maternal great grandparents were from the same
country, and his grandfather McCoinb served in
the Revolutionary War. His parents were married
in the Keystone State, where during the greater
part of his life Edward Dougherty carried on liusi-
ness at his trade of tailoring. Late in life they came
to live at the home of our subject. He died in the
Gray Beard Regiment during the late war, being
then about sixty-five years of age. His wife died
at the home of our subject at the age of sixty-two
years. She was a Presbyterian in religious faith,
and in political sentiment Mr. Dougherty was a
Democrat. In their family were eight children,
four of whom are yet living.

Robert A. Dougherty, whose name luads this

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

G49

sketch, is the oldest of the family. He received
Ills education in the old time log schoolhouse, find
at the early age of fourteen years began to make
his own way in the world, farming on the shares
with his uncle. In 1840, he started to drive a team
to Iowa, and on arriving in Ft. Madison, was in-
duced to continue his journey to this county, as it
was then new, and located near tlie county scat.
He paid ^500 for a quarter-section, where he now
lives, and his first tax was ninety-five cents. In
the spring of 1811, lie returned to Pennsylvania,
but in 1842 we again find him in this county,
where he built a round log house, 16x16 feetwitli-
out windows.

On the 24th of September, 18.50, Mr. Dougherty
was united in marriage witli Elizabeth J. Simpson,
a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Braiian) Simp-
son, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the
latter of Ohio. When Mr. Simpson was a boy, he
emigrated with his parents to the Buckeye State.
where lie formed the acquaintance of the lady
whom he made his wife. She died in Ohio, in tlie
prime of womanhood. Seven children were ))orn
of that marriage, of whom two are yet living. Mr.
Simpson subsequent!}' married Eliza J. Woods, and
liad a large family. In 1847, they came to this
count}', where he died at the age of seventy-six.

Upon his marriage, Mr. Dougherty removed into
his cabin, where all of his children were born.
Only two of the six are now living: Milton S., wlio
married Jane Dudley, wlio died leaving one eliild,
Ethel M.; and IMary E., wife of William A. War-
wick. They have one child, Lizzie Mable.

Mr. Dougherty has l)een a member of the County
Board of Supervisors for tliree years, and has held
all the township offices. His official duties have
ever been discharged with promptness and fidelity,
winning liini the confidence and respect of the en-
tire community. He cast his first Presidential vote
for Henry Clay, and supported the Whig party un-
til the rise of the Republican party, wliich he
helped to organize in this county. Since that time
he has been a stanch supporter of its principles.
His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Chnrcb,
and he is connected with the Old Settlers' Society,
and for tliirty years has been a member of the Odd
Fellows fraternity. Three times he has been elected

to tlie office of the Justice of the Peace, serving
six years. For a half century Mr. Dougherty lias
made his home in Jefferson County, and has won
the warmest regard of all witli wliom he has come
in contact.

OL. JAMES THOMPSON, deceased, one of
II " the pioneer srttlersof Jefferson County, wlio
for many years was a prominent citizen of
Fairfield, deserves siweial mention in this work.
He was born in Plattsburg, N. Y., on tlie 9th of
April, 1793, and in his youth removed with liis
father's family to Wasliington County, Pa., wliere
he lived until his seventeenth year, when he set-
tled in Harrison County, Ohio. There he made
his home some twelve or fifteen years, during
which time, in September, 1824, lie wedded Mary
Horken, the marriage being celebrated at New
Rumley. His wife was his faithful companion for
near sixty years, and they were separated by the
hand of death in Fairfield, in 1882.

Soon after his marriage Mr. Thompson removed
to CarroUton, Ohio, where he spent a number of
years, when, in deference to the wishes of his wife,
and himself anxious to break loose from a life of
politics, to which he had become attached, he
joined the westward march of emigration and came
with his family to assist in the settling up of the
great Valley of the Mississippi. He rested for a
short time in Indiana and then came on to Iowa,
reaching Fairfield in 1844. In this city he lived
until his death, which occurred on the 10th of
April, 1883, at the advanced age of ninety years.
He reared a family of seven children and lost one
in childhood. Of these four are still living, two
sons in Montana and two daughters, Mrs. George
D. Temple, of Burlington, and Mrs. John R. Shaffer,
of Des Moines. Col. Tliompson was in many re-
spects a, remarkable man. Possessed of a singularly
vigorous intellect, a positive character and a mind
stored with political and historical information
added to a liberal education, he was a man widely

650

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUiNI.

known find nniversnlly rcsi:)eL'tecl. There was liarrlly
a man in the oonnty who was not acquainted with
liim, and in early da}'s he was l<nown to ahnost
every settler in this part of the State. His con-
victions were very strong, and he held his opinions
with such force and vigor that no man who ever
came in contact with him could ever forget him.
Me was a stanch supporter of Democratic princi-
ples, and though after his arrival here he largely
eschewed politics, he was by nature so positive in
his convictions that from time to time he lent
his aid to forward the cause of the partj' to which
he was a life-long .adherent. During his residence
in Ohio he was a .Tusti(;e of the Peace for several
years, and for two terms represented Carroll
County in tlie .State Senate, where he made a good
record. Afterward he came within one vote of
securing the nomination for Congress. For a
number of years he had command of a Militia
company and thereby won the title of Colonel.
During his residence in Fairfield he served as Jus-
tice of the Peace for some years, and was several
times liie Democratic candidate in this county for
the Legislature.

gj---.,..^

151 •^i, EV. THOMAS AUGUSTUS RENFRO, pas-
tor of the Christian Church of Milton, Van
Buren County, was born in Madison County.
^'^ 111., May 4, 1835, and is a stm of William
and Elizabeth (Hall) Renfro. His father was born
in Kentucky, July 23, 1800, and was of Scotch de-
scent. His mother, a native of North Carolina,
was born August 31, 1806. In their family were
seven sons and four daughters and with the ex-
ception of two all are j-et living. Accompanied
by his wife and children, Mr. Renfro in 1845, imi-
grated to the Territory of Iowa and located a claim
in Polk County. Two years later he removed to
Eddyville, and in 1849 we And him living in Oe^ka-
loosa, where he was engiiged in the manufacture
of brick and in bricklaying. Ho removed to Stow-
ardville, Mo., in 1858, but after twoyears returned

to Iowa and located in Indianola. His death oc-
curred June 27, 1886, when about eighty-six years
of age and his wife died Novemlipr 2, 1865.

Our subject was the sixth in order of Idrth in
the family. He was educated in theOskaloosa High
School under Prof. Drake and became a bricklayer,
which trade he followed for some time. On the
7th of September, 1859, in Abingdon, Jefferson
County, he was united in marriage with Miss Emma
PloMglie, daughter of Jacob and Jane (Caldwell)
Ploughe, both of whom were natives of Kentucky,
the former born May 26, 1800, and the latter
March 6, 1800. The family came to Iowa in Aug-
ust, 1848. There were ten daughters and one son
and Mrs. Renfro is the youngest. Her father died
January 23, 1867, and her mother passed away Sep-
tember 9, 1878. To Mr. and Mrs. Renfro have been
born the following children: Elizabeth Jane, born
October 27, 1861, is now the wife of Fred Kneisel,
of Clark County, Mo.; Florence Viola, born April
25, 1866, is the wife of Alfred C. Jolly, of Milton;
and Alice, born June 24, 1860, died on the 18th of
July of that year.

Shortly after his m.arriage, Mr. Renfro settled i.i
Lucas County, Iowa, where he engaged in farming
until thinking it was his duty to respond to the
country's call for troops he enlisted in August,
1862, becoming a member of Compan}- G, Thirty-
fourth Iowa Infantry, from wliich he received an
honorable discharge August 15, 1865. He took
part in a number of important engagements, in-
cluding the attack upon A'icksburg, the battle of
Arkansas Post and others. After the war he came
to Van Buren County and settled in Jackson Town-
ship, where he engaged in farming until 1875. He
began preaching in 1871, lint did not devote him-
self entirely to that work until four years later. He
h.as had charge of the church in Mt. Sterling, Lawn
Ridge, Prairie View and Salem, Mo., and other
places in Iowa. For nine j-ears he was employed
ill Lawn Ridge and the call was again extended to
him. He has now had charge of the church in Mil-
ton for four years and is doing excellent work as
its pastor. He is respected throughout the com-
munity and is greatly loved by the people of his
own church as- is indicated by his continued ser-
vice. He has ever taken an active part in temper-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

651

ance wcirk, and in all refonns. and interests for the
upbuilding of the communit}' and tlie advance of
its general welfare. In politics he is a Republican
having supported that party since its organization.

f->IH^

!*, I>>ILLIAM JOHNSON. decea.?ed, is numbered
\/\//l ^'"ong the honored pioneers of Van Buren
^^\f/ County, Iowa. He was born in Daujiliin
(Jounty, Pa., in 1789, and died at bis home in this
county in Septeml)er, 1845, respected by all who
knew him. Little is known concerning the earl}'
history of the family but it was undoubtedU' es-
tablished in America at an early day. In 1801,
wlien our subject was a lad of twelve years, he
accompanied his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio, which
nt that time consisted of a few log cabins on I he
bank of the Ohio River, not a frame iiouse having
tlien been built in the place. Soon afterward the
family made a location in Warren County, about
forty miles north of Cincinnati, where William
grew to manhood. In that community he also
formed the acquaintance of Miss Nanc,' Crain
whom he afterward mairied. The year 1829 wit-
nessed the removal of himself and family to Foun-
tain County, Ind., but previous to this time, while
slill a resident of Ohio, he enlisted in the War of
1812 and was placed iu charge of a provision train.
He was near St. Mary's at the time of Hull's sur-
render but succeeded in making his escape and
when hostilities were brought to a close was dis-
charged from the service.

After some seven years spent in Fountain
County, Ind., during which time he devoted his
attention to farming, he again resumed his west-
ward journey and in 1836 made a settlement in
Monmouth, HI., but in th(! spring of the following-
year, accompanied l)y his son William J., iie crossed
the Father of Waters and made a location in what
is now Van Buren County on land which is now
the property of Robert Watt. They erected a log
cabin, 18x20 feet, hewing out puncheon for the
floor and when preparations for a home were com-

plete sent for the family which arrived in August
of the same jear. Then began life in earnest.
Hardships and privations incident to pioneer life
were to be borne, but these they overcame or en-
dured uncomplainingl}^ and in course of time the
combined efforts of parents and children met with
a reward which attends earnest and constant labor.

In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were five
sons and five daughters, all of whom lived to ma-
ture years. John C. married Sarah Petrie and set-
tled in Kansas, where his death occurred in 1887;
William J. will be mentioned more fully in this
volume; Perry is a resident of California; Mary E.,
wife of Andrew George, died in California; Mar-
garet J. married Hiram Willetts and since 1850
they have made their home in California; Indiana
died at the age of eighteen jears; Joseph A., who
wedded Kate Van Cleve, died in Van Buren
County; Hattie A., wife of Joseph A. Whitelc)-,
died in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; Thomas B. married
Miss Perkins for his first wife, and Josephine Whit-
more became his second wife.

The parents of this family ranked among the
best citizens of Van liuren County. Their lives,
though quiet and unostentatious were marked by
u|)rightness in all things and their many commend-
able qualities secured them a large circle of friends.
Both have been called to their final rest but they
will Vie remembered by many of the early settlers
and in order to perpetuate their memory- we record
this sketch.

C~*-^ ^

^l^-^ ON. WILLIAM ERNEST MASON, of
Chicago, is one of Van Buren County's
most eminent pioneers. He is a native of
^) Franklinvillc, Cattaraugus County, N. Y.,
born July 7. 1850, and is the son of Lewis J. and
Nancy (Winslow) Mason. In 1858 the family
moved to Bentonsport, Van Buren County, where
the father died in 1865, the motlier surviving him
ten j'ears, dying in 1875. William being thus early
thrown upon liis own resources, developed an inde-

652

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAFIIICAL ALBUM.

penilence of clmractor wiiich has marked all his
public acts. His education was obtained in the
public schools, with two years' attendance at Bir-
mingham College. He afterwards taught during
two winters in district schools, and in 1S68 went to
Des Moines where he was emplo3'ed the next two
yenrs in teaching. Having determined to enter the
legal professi(;n, in 1870 he began his law studies
in the oHice of Hon. Thomas F. Withrow, of Des
Moines. INIr. Withrow soon afterwards removed to
Chicago, Mr. IMason accompanying him, remaining
in his oflllce one year, and then entering the office
of Hon. John N. Jewett. where he continued his
studies and practice five years. He then formed a
partnership with Judge M. R. M. Wallace. The
firm had an extensive practice. As an advocate
Mr. Mason is noted for his superior qualities, being
numbered among the best jury lawyers of Chicago.

Politically, Mr. Mason is an earnest and enthu-
siastic Republican. He has taken an active part in
ni;iny political campaigns, and has served his
adopted city and State in the Illinois Legislature
in both branches, and as a member of Congress
fioui the Third District. In the latter body he
took front rank, and was largel3' instrumental in
securing for Chicago the World's Fair.

Mr. Mason possesses personal and social quali-
ties of a high order, and has attracted to himself
many friends. He was married in 1873 to Miss
Julia Edith White, daughter of George White, a
wholesale merchant of Des Moines.

Mr. Mason always loves to talk about his life and
his experience in Van Buren County, and makes it
a point to visit his old home in Bentonsport once
a year, or oftener, if possible. In speaking of this
old town the other day, to the writer of this arti-
cle, he said: " We went to Bentonsport in 1858. It
was after the panic of '57, and my father moved
to Bentonsport to start anew. At that time the
railroad known as the Keokuk. Fort Des Moines &
Minnesota Railroad ran from Keokuk to Bentons-
port. and my father, who worked in a wngon shop
for seventy-five cents |)er day, made the tables,
chairs, bedsteads and furniture necessary to start a
l)oarding house, known as the ' Western Kxchange.'
The other hotel, known as the • Ashlanil Ilonsc'
was kept by a man named John P. Robinson, but

we soon got started, and in a year or two bought
out the Ashland House, where I spent the most of
m}' life !is a boy.

"The location of Bentonsport makes it one of the
most beautiful spots in the world, in a shai'p, well-
defined valley along the Des Moines River, and,
although it has gone down in a business and finan-
cial way, 3'et the people there, and in the county
are the most generous and warm-hearted people I
ever knew.

"The best teacher I ever had was J. D. Hornby,
who taught the public school in Bentonsport for
many years. I went to school after that to the
Birmingham College, but most of my old friends
there remember how I graduated by going in the
front door and being kicked out at the back.

".Some of my pleasantest recollections are con-
nected with Van Buren County, and it is full of
splendid homes and splendid people. My parents
were buried at Bentonsport, and I presume that is
why I vTill never lose the interest I have in the
place and in the people."

^f)OHN P. CAMPBELL, one of the prominent
I farmers of Des Moines Township, Jefferson
] County, residing on section 34, was born in
[^^Jj Fayette County, Pa , in 1843, his i)arents
being James and Rebecca (Hanshaw) Campbell,
both of whom were also natives of Fayette County.
By occupation his father was a farmer and followed
that business throughout his entire life. Coming
to Van Buren County', Iowa, in 1855, he purchased
two hundred and forty acres of partially improved
land and made his home upon that farm until his
death, which occurred ui 1872. His wife survived
him a number of years, nui] died at the home of
our subject in 1885. Mr. Campbell was a quiet
and unassuming, yet valued citizen who conscien-
tiously discharged every duty devolving upon him
and aided in the growth and upbuilding of the

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

653

county's best interests. He took little part in
political affairs, casting his vote first with the Wliig
party and then with tlie Republican part_v. The
cliilflren Ijorn of his union with Rebecca Hansliaw
were A. E, now Mrs. Fender, of Cedar Townsliip,
Van Rnren County; E. B. wlio is married and
engaged in farming in Cedar T(jwnsliii); Lewis who
is married and resi<les in Harrisburg Townsliij),
Van Buren County.

Tlie fonrtli and youngest member of this family
is Jolm P. Campbell, the gentleman whose name
lieads this sketch. His early boyhood days were
spent in his native State wliere lie began iiis educa-
tion, but at the age of twelve years, he accompanied
his parents to Van Buren County, Iowa, and in tlie
community his school life was ended. Tlie advan-
tages here afforded were rtot very extensive in
character but subsequent reading and experience
have made him a well informed man. In 1863,
when twenty years of age, he enlisted at Birming-
ham in Company C, of the Eighth Iowa Caralry,
for three years service or during the remainder of
the war. After being mustered in at Davenport,
the regiment was assigned to the Army of the
Cumberland and participated in Hood's campaign
under Gen. Thora.as. In 1865, Mr. Campbell was
under the command of Gen. Wilson and took part
in what is known as Wilson's cavalry raid. He
belonged to what is known as the lost brigade and
at the close of the war. in August, 1865, received
his discharge in Clinton, Iowa.

Returning to Van Buren County, Mr. Campbell
embarked in farming for himself anil having made
a start, he completed his arrangements for a home
by his union with Miss Naomi Jordan. Tlie mar-
riage was celebrated in Henry County, in 1867,
after which the lady was at once installed as mis-
tress of the ne«' home. She is a native of F.ayette
County, Pa., and a daughter of Roger and Sarah
Ann (Lindsey) .Jordan. Her father was a native
of Maine, but in Pennsylvania became acquainted
with and married Miss Lindsey, who was born in
Maryland. In 1856, they came to Van Buren
County, locating in Cedar Township, but after a
year they removed to Hillsboro, Henry County.
where Mr. Jordan engaged in merchandising until
his death, which occurred December 19, 1873. His

wife survived him until November, 1887, when
she too was called home. He was an earnest worker
in the Republican party, an intlueutial advocate of
its principles and both he and his wife were
members of the Free Will Baptist Church. They
had been residents of this section of Iowa, for many
years and were numbered among its highly respected
citizens.

From 1867 until 1874, Mr. Campbell carried on
farming operations in A'an Buren County, but in
the latter year, he removed to Liberty Township,
Jefferson County, which continued to be his home
for fiftsen years. Only since 1889, has he made
his home in Des Moines Township, hut in the few
months which have since elapsed he has made
many excellent improvements and now has a fine
farm of one hundred and fifty acres, the u-reater
part of which is under a high state of cultivation.
He has witnessed almost the entire growth of ^'an
Buren and Jefferson Counties and has identified
himself with its best interests. His memory o-oes
back to the days when Keokuk was their market
and when the country round about was so sparsely
settled that one might ride hmg distances without
meeting a single individual. His father, in that
early d.ay, was the owner of the only story and a.
half liouse in this section which throughout the .sur-
rounding country vvas known as the '-high house."
Great changes have taken pl.ace, transforming South-
eastern Iowa into one of the richest and best por-
tions of the State. It might be claimed as an
honor to be a witness of this growth but to be a
participant in the wonderful development and up-
building, is a favor not shown to every one, but
among the latter class m.ay be enrolled Mr. Camp-
bell. In politics, he is a stalwart Republican and
an influential delegate of tlie county conventions.
He labors for the success of the party as he wishes
its principles to beconic law^s and not for any' pecuni-
ary benefit which he might receive as an oHice-
holder. for he has never sought or desired public
preferment.

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell hold membership in the
Mission Baptist Church of Fairfield. They are
parents of eight children — Lucy Iowa, Orris C
Anna J., Alta B., Lu Ethel, Harry, Arthur S. and
James Harrison. As one of the representative

G54

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

families of the county, whose members are worthy
the liigh regard tendered them, the Campbells de-
serve representation in this volume and we there-
fore record this sketch.

m

^OHN K. WALLER, grocer and proprietor
of a restaurant and i)iiblic hall in JNIilton,' is
numbered among the |)ioneers of Van Buren
County of 1845. He was born in Sussex
County, Del., IMarch 26, 1826, and is a son of Will-
iam and Mary (King) Waller, wiio were also na-
tives of Delaware and of Scotch descent.

When the subject of this sketch was seven years
of age he removed with his [larents from the State
of his nativitj-, and journeying westward, settled
in Versailles, Marion County, Ohio, where he grew
to manhood, receiving such educational advantages
as the common schools of that d.a}' afforded. In
ISt,') the family emigrated to Iowa, making the
journey b\' team, and arrived in Van Buren County
on the 28th of September. Our subject settled in
Chcquest Township, where he engaged in farming
until tlie spring of 1849, when he was employed
on lioard a steamboat on the Mississippi River, to
which i)ursuit he devoted his energies for two
years, or until the spring of 1851, when he crossed
the plains to California with mule teams. He was
engaged in mining in the gold fields of the Pacific
Coast from July 6, 1851, until August 18. 1855,
when he returned to his home b}' the way of the
Isthmus of Panama and New York. His father
died of cholera on the 28tli of September of that
year, and John K. took charge of the farm in Che-
quest Township, belonging to the estate, which he
operated from the sining of 1856 until 1864. On
the 21st of September of the former year in Van
Buren County, he was united in marriage with Miss
Lucinda Gardner, a native of Rush County, lud.,
and a daughter of Aaron and Clarissa Gardner.
Two children, a son and a daughter, have been
born of their union — ^ Claia, who is now the
wife of John W. Ward, a resident of Graudview,

Douglas County. S. Dak.; and William Clay, who
mariied Miss Alice Dye and is a resident of Isabel,
Kan.

In the spring of 1864 Mr. Waller removed to
Montana Territory with his family, and at Vir-
ginia City, Helena, and other points engaged in
mining. In May, 1866, he returned to Iowa and
soon afterward he entered the service of the Chi-
cago & Rock Island Railroad Companj' as local
agent at Summit, Van Buren County, where he
continued for three 3'erirs. His next vocation was
the grocery business, in which he embarked in
BloomQeld, Davis County, carrying on operations
in tliat line until 1874, when he went to the Black
Hills. After one summer spent iu that mining re-
gion without satisfactory results, he returned to
Van Buren County, Iowa, locating in Milton, where
lie h.as since been engaged in the grocery business.
He is also proprietor of a restaurant and |)ublic
hall.

On the nth of March, 1880, in this city, Mr.
Waller was united in marriage with Mrs. Emma
Ruth CTroves, widow of John Groves, and a daugh-
ter of William King. The lady was born in Sus-
sex County, Del., and in 1841 came with her
parents to Van Buren County, where she has since
made her home. In politics Mr. Waller is a
Democrat, and socially', is a member of Aurora
Lodge, No. 50, A. F. & A. M., also of Jackson
Lodge, No. 25, K. P., both of Milton. He is rec-
ognized as one of the enterprising business men
of that place and is highly esteemed by his fellow-
citizens.

\jl T. TILFORD, who resides on section 25,
Round Prairie Township, is one of the hon-
ored pioneers of Van Buren County. It was
^y' on the IGlh of May, 1836, when his family,
consisting of his parents, James and Polly (Work-
man) Tilford and six children, reached South-
eastern Iowa and located in this community. Al-
most this entire portion of the State was then in its
primitive condition, few settlements had been

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

655

made, and scarcely another one of the pioneers of
that year are left to tell the story of frontier life in
Van Buren County.

Mr. Tilford was born in Adair County, Ky., in
1826, and was the third in order of birth in his
famil5'. He was therefore a lad of ten summers at
the time of their westward emigration. The jour-
ney was made with teams of oxen from Morgan
County, and on reaching their destination they
settled upon what is now the farm of our subject.
For supplies and flour they had to go to Morgan
County, 111., a distance of about one hundred and
forty miles, which trips were made with ox teams
and often required from seven to ten days. Indians
were far more numerous than the white settlers, and
months often passed without their seeing a white
woman except the members of their family. Such
were the surroundings of Joseph Tilford in the days
of his boyiiood and youth. His parents resided
upon the old homestead until called from this life.
The mother died in 1856, and the father in 1858.
Their children were Sarah, wife of Thomas Lam-
birth, whose sketch appears upon another page of
this volume; Robert, a farmer of Mahaska County,
Iowa: Joseph, our subject; Harriet, wife of Bruce
Frame, of Round Prairie Township, Van Buren
County; IMary, now Mrs. Humphrey, of Round
Prairie Township, and Elizabeth, now Blrs. Grady,
of Macon County, Mo., who are twins.

J. T. Tilford bore his share in the hardships and
trials of pioneer life and aided in the arduous task
of developing a farm. In the autumn of 1 848 he
left home and was united in marriage with Matilda
A. Andrews, daughter of William and Elizabeth
(Tott) Andrews, and a native of Illinois. The
following spring they removed to Marion County,
where he entered two hundred acres of Govern-
ment land, to which he has since added an eighty-
acre tract. That farm he partially improved an<I
made his home for fourteen years, when he re-
turned to his old homestead on account of the death
of his parents. He is now the owner of eighty
acres of well-improved land, constituting the oldest
farm in the county. No one is better informed on
pioneer life in Southeastern Iowa than Mr. Tilford.
He was a scholar in the first school taught in the
county, which met in a rude log building, the

dimensions of which were 16x18 feet. A large fire-
place occupied one entire end, the floor was of
puncheons and the seats were made of slabs of bass-
wood. One log having been removed the aperture
was covered with greased paper and served to light
the entire building. Mr. Tilford is a member of
llie Old Settlers Society of Henry County, and in
politics he is a Democrat. His children, two in
number, are John, who married Miss Eleanor
Smith, and is engaged in farming in Henrj' Count}-;
and William, who resides at home.

l^asE

^XTiii^j^

(111 I^ARD LAMSON. Having subscribed for
\y\jl/ the Jefferson County Album and being
^^^ called upon for a sketch of my life, let me
state that I was born September 7, 1820, in the Lug
School District, in the town of Sterling, ten miles
north of Worcester, Worcester Count}', Mass. I
lived there in my parents' home upon their small
farm until I was twelve, working some on the farm
and in my father's scythe sneath shop, where he
invented and perfected the crooked scythe sneath.
I was " licked" because I played too much and
worked too little. I went to the district school
some and again was whipped because I did not
study more. I went to the Baptist Church and
was scared enough to make a sage, if flight would
make a dunce wise. I was also taught to fear God
there in order to make me love him, but the more
they licked and scared, the less I loved ami knew,
and if my father had not made fun of their scare
stories, I think they would have licked and scared
what little sense and might I had out of me to
make a good boy. At twelve, my father took me
to Carnington, Hampshire County, Mass., to work
in his scythe sneath shop. There too I went to
School some until seventeen, and went to church
and Sunday-school to be trained in the fear of God
to make me love him, but there too my father's
confiding trust in God's loving purpose to reform,
not to confirm erring children in wrong, finally
helped me to love and reform some. I wanted an

656

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

education to become a preacher, but father thought
I was loo prou(1, ambitious and lazy to make a use-
ful niinister. so at seventeen, he gave me $100 to
come to Burlington, the capital of Wisconsin
Territory at that time, now Burlington, Iowa. I
.arrived December 6, 1837, but did not obtain work
at government land surveying as 1 hoped, but found
work, first as a porter and then as a clerk, with
better wages than I expected. I gave up my land
surveying enterprise and continued clerking about
nine years until my health failed. I thought then
that I was broke, but I found that I could think
and that I knew enough of business to conduct ex-
changes of products profitably between the upper
and lower Mississippi River, and that I had credit
enough with my old emploj'ers to aid me in effect-
ing e.xchanges upon a moderate scale until near the
close of the Mexican War, in 1848.

In New Orleans, in the spring of that year I
made some investments in land warrants and in the
summer opened an office in St. Louis for the
prosecution of the land warrant business. After
tliat I opened offices in Burlington and in Fairfield,
for conducting the sale and loan of land warrants.
As for the manner in which I had conducted my
business, it has always depended upon the mood I
was in, whether I was more or less greed}'. When
I charged the current higb rates I felt like a hog,
and I guess that many who paid them thought T
was one. When I charged one half or one fourth
llie current rate and reduced my own expenses to
correspond with mj- income, folks said I was a
crank or crazy, but I was not so craz}^ as to run
heels over head in debt to make money to s[)lurge,
or to court or incur bankruptcy.

With the humble, industrial and economical help
of my present wife, we have raised a large family
of boys and girls who are mostly married and try-
ing, so far as I know, with the help of God, to
lead useful lives. Of my three deceased wives,
suffice it to say, they were good enough for me,
and I liked all well enough to seek another, although
I thought each time that I could never find another
to replace my loss. I have not joined any church
because I have not found one which gives me that
freedom of search and individual action which I
crave and need fur mental growth ; and because I

don't want to spend or be spent in substituting
Christiauity with mere churchanity, as I under-
stand both ; and because I believe that speech
jjrayer to God as practiced b}' the churches, as if
God does not know or is faithless to do what is
liest for his children without speech prayer, is
neither wise nor reverent toward God ; and because
growing charity among intelligent sectarians is
making tliem less sectarian, so that I enjoy sincere
converse in the spirit of truth with them for mutual
improvement, withtiut nuicli hinderance from
dogmatic, sectarian faith, though I am not a church
member. As a rule, I have been treated as well by
others through life .as I have treated them, so that
I can't complain of others without making com-
plaint against myself. As this would not be
" taffylogical" in a biographical album, 1 will make
no complaint at having no offices of honor or profit
pressed upon me against my will. But I have
accepted some such offices as road supervisor and
the like when no others would serve. When jogged
by a good faithful Christ'an minister to diffuse
useful knowledge b^' means of books for general
use, I worked hard to start tlie Jefferson County
Library in Fairfield in 18.5.3, and I went to Boston,
b}' request of the Library Association, to buy the
first instalment of books, having first provided
that I should secure wiser minds than mine, there
to make up the list ; and to their wise selection
and to Jefferson County's people's appreciation of
the books, subsequently came that warm support
by the appreciators, to which Fairfield now owes
the existence of the largest, best and most widely
read public library in any town of its size in Iowa
if not in the United States, so say better judges
than I. But among the most difficult official duties
which 1 have elected myself to perform out of
office is that of railway regulation, so as to tax
corporations the same as private property and
suppress railway rate discrimination and extortion.
Though reason, justice and the public welfare re-
quire the adoption of these measures ; and although
they are easy to understand and to apply and are
fair toward all, yet free passes and other special
transportation privileges to influence influential
citizens, still defeat the return of our most intellig-
ent and faithful public servants to office, who like

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

657

our late Gov. Larrabee, mean practical reform. But
I still hope that our intlueiitial men will see and
correct their mistake before it is too late. I would
present you a photograph of my phiz, if it was as
good looking as my wife's and she would consent
to the presentation of hers.

E^^^

OSEPH WARREN is a native of County
Wexford, Ireland, born July 12, 1814.
His parents were Christopher and Sarah
Warren, who were both natives of Wexford
County. His father was a farmer by occupation,
to which pursuit Joseph was reared. The schools
of that locality not being good he received but a
limited education which however he largely sup-
plemented by reading and observation. He remained
at home assisting his father in the management
and cultivation of the farm until he was twenty-
five years of age. On the 17th of February 1840,
he married Miss Ann Pierce who was also a native
of County Wexford. After his marriage he en-
gaged in farming for himself, and continued to suc-
cessfully operate a large farm until his emigration
to America. That he thoroughly understood all
branches of agriculture is attested by the fact that
he has in his possession a silver medal, that was
presented to liim by the Agricultural Association
for being the best farmer in the county. In the
summer of 1853, he decided to seek a home in the
New World, and with his wife and four children,
sailed for America, landing at New Orleans, and
cjutinuing his journey, arrived at St. Louis on the
26th of December of that year. In the spring of
1854, he landed in Van Buren County. He was
not without means, for upon his arrival he had
about $3,000, as the result of his successful tenant
farming in his native land. He located in Ver-
non Township, where he bought one hundred
and twenty acres of land and began the de-
velopment of a farm. His labors were success-
ful, and he continued to increase his posses-
sions until he became the owner of seven hun-

dred acres. He had been in the county but a
few years, when the [jcople recognizing his
ability and worth as a citizen elected him to
the office of Township Su|)crvisor, and the Coun-
ty Board elected him President of that body.
He served his constituents faithfully. He w.as sub-
sequently elected Justice of the Peace, but not car-
ing to act in that capacity he held the office but a
few years.

Mr. and Mrs. Warren became parents of seven
children, four of whom grew to mature years and
are yet living, viz; Christopher, who is a farmer of
Vernon Township; Pollen, unmarried; Jane is the
wife of Samuel H. Warren, a successful farmer of
Vernon Township, and Sarah who wedded Samuel
Hearn, of Van Buren Township. Mr. Warren has
given his children good educational advantages, and
provided each with a good farm, though he still re.
tains three hundred and forty acres for his own
use and maintenance. Idleness is no part of his
nature; he has always been industrious, and though
amplj' able to laj^ aside all business cares, and spend
his declining years in ease and luxury, he still keeps
himself employed looking after his farms and stock,
not so much as a source of profit, as for the pleas-
ure it affords him. He has acted as guardian for sev-
eral orphan children, anl administrator for the
settlement of a number of estates, and in every
case his course has been marked by the strictest in-
tegrity. In his many and varied business trans.ac-
tions he has never had a lawsuit on his own account.
He has been a consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church ever since he came to the coun-
t3', as was also his good wife, whose loss he was
called upon to mourn in 1882.

In the summer of 1888 Mr. Warren visited liis
native land, and spent about five weeks in travel-
ing in that country, and visiting many places of
interest, notably- the beautiful "Lakes of Killarney,"
and the famous "Blarney Castle." On his return
to Iowa he felt more strongl}' than ever his pref-
erence for the land of his adoption to that of his
nativity. In the public questions of the day he
has always taken an interest, and in national elec-
tions has supported the Republican party. He is
a liberal supporter of the church and other deserv-
ing institutions. To the poor and needy he is a

658

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

friend, to whom he dispenses charity with genuine
Irish liospitality; by reason of a good coiistitutioji,
correct and temperate liabits lie lias by several
years exceeded man's allotted three-score and ten
and is still well preserved, and In the enjoyment
of his faculties both physical and mental. He can
now look back over a long, busy and well-spent life
of usefulness, with the pleasant consciousness of
having in all things honestly endeavored to perform
his full duty to his God, to his fellow-men, to his
family and to himself.

••Good actions crown themselves with lasting daj-s.
Who well deserves, needs not another's praise."

-yJSU

-Er-

yULIUS L. CLARK is a progressive farmer
and representative citizen of Liberty Town-
ship, Jefferson County, his home being on
section 29. He was born in Belmont

County, Ohio, on the 7tli of April, 1824, and was
a s(^n of Robert and Rebecca (Lindsey) Clark. He
married Rebecca Liniisey, whose grandfather was
taken prisoner and forced into the British service
in England, but he escaped and joined the Amer-
ican forces, fighting under Gen. Washington. For
some years Robert and Rebecca Clark made their
home in Ohio, hut in 1859 left the Buckeye State
and became residents of Van Buren County, Iowa,
where he engaged in farming. Their children
were: Madison, who is now living in Ottuniwa;
Julius, whose name heads this sketch; Elizabeth,
who died in Wapello County, in 1881; Joseph,
who died in the army in 18G2; John, who came
to Iowa, but died at Ark.ansas Post during the
War of the Rebellion ; Waterman, who was a resident
of Elkhart County, Ind., Samuel, who died while
in the service of his country during the late war;
Caroline, who married W. R. Smith, of Van Buren
County, and died in Crawford County, Kan., in
the spring of 1874; and George, who met his death
ill the engagement at Mobile, Ala. The day be-
fore the battle he wrote home "Ho-morrow we
charge Mobile," little thinking that it would be his
last message. He left two little bo3's who grew
to manhood waiting for news of a father who never
came.

The subject of this sketch, Julius L. Clark, spent
ihe days of his boyhood and youth in the State of
his nativity. No event of special importance
marked his early career, but on attaining his ma-
jority he started out in life for himself, choosing

the West as the scene of his future labors. In
1845 he came to Iowa and engaged in the wagon
and undertaking business in ^'an Buren County,
continuing operations in that line for a number of
years. In 1847 he led to the marriage altar Jliss
Eraeline Carson, who was born on the 31st of Oc-
tober, 1827. Their union was blessed with nine
children, all born in Van Buren County with the
exception of the two 3'oungest — Josepli, born Oc-
tober 29, 1849, is represented elsewhere in this
volume; William, born in 1851, died in 1857;
Samuel G., born Ausust 8, 1855, is now a pros-
perous farmer of Edwards County, Kan; Mary
Rebecca, born September 1, 1857, is the widow of
S. L. Smith, of Durango, Colo.; John Mason, born
in 1860, died in 1866; Sarah Ann, born May 9,
1862, is the wife of Oscar Cornell, a farmer of
Pawnee County, Kan.; Nora Jane, born August 13.
1864, is the wife of W. S. Shum.aker, of Batavia,
who was Postmaster at that place under Pi'esident
Cleveland; Thomas Manford, born May 16, 1867.
and Amanda, November 25, 1870, complete the
family.

In 1850, during the gold excitement in Califor-
nia, Mr. Clark joined a partj'^ numbering one hun-
dred and ten men, who, under Capl. Zachariah
Walker, now deceased, made an overland journey
with ox-teams to the Golden State. They remained
for more than a year, duiing which time Mr. CLirk
engaged in prospecting, but sickness compelled him
to relinquisli his claim, which afterward proved to
be a very rich one. He made the return trip by
water, reaching the Isthmus of Panama after a
fifty-five days voyage on the Pacific, and on a
Mississippi steamer returned to Iowa. On reach-
ing home he resumed his former business, that of
undertaking and wagon making, which he contin-
ued until 1865, when he purchased a farm on sec-
tion 29, Libertj' Township, Jefferson County,
where he has since made his liorae. For six 3'ears,
from 1854 until 1860, he was Postmaster of Busi-
ness Corner. In political sentiment, he is a Repub-
lican, and astanch advocate of his party principles.
For eighteen years his neighbors have manifested
their trust in him by retaining him as District
I'reasurer, and it is needless to say every duty has
been faithfully discharged. He joined the Metho-
dist Ei)isco|)al Church in 1847, and in 1859 he
changed to Ihe Protestant, and his wife is a mem-
ber of the Metliodist Protestant Church. Thrcuigh-
out the community this worthy cou|)le are held in
high esteem for their many excellent qualities and
their upright lives. They are also numbered
among the honored pioneers of the county, having
for forty-five years made their home within its
borders or in its immediate vicinity.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

659

J

^7 AMES F. WILSON, Jit., is a promising and
enterprising _young business man of Fair-
field, Jefferson Count}', who is a native of
that city, born May 23, 1867, and a son of
Senator James F. Wilson, whose sketch appears
elsewhere in this volume. His primary education
was received in the public schools of Fairfield, after
which he attended Parsons College. In ( )ctober,
1889, he opened a large boot and shoe establish-
ment in Fairfield, where he carries one of the finest
and best assorted stocks in that line in the county.
He is doing a large and constantly increasing busi-
ness, and is an affable, genial gentleman, who by
fair and honorable dealings has built up a trade of
which he has reason to be proud. He well deserves
the success which has so far attended him in his
business career, and a bright future seems to bt
before him.

^§^^m^^

1^^ W. TAYLOR, M.D., of Glasgow, Jeffer-
^^^ son Count}', came to this place in 1855, is
1\L£-^ a native of Litchfield County, Conn., born
in 1817, and is the fifth child of a family
of six. His father was a native of Connecticut,
and was a minister of the Presbyterian Church.
In about 1828 the family removed to Portage
County, Ohio, where the father died in 1863, in
Fredonia. The mother of our subject survived him
a few years and died in the same place.

Dr. Taylor received an academical education at
Tallraadge, Summit County. When about eighteen
years of age he removed to Kane County, 111.,
where he worked on a farm and in a sawmill at
Aurora for several years. When twenty-one years
of age he married Miss Jane A. Fanner, of Kane
County, 111., by whom he had six children — Fran-
ces, now Mrs. Sturdevant, of Beaver County, Pa.;
Alfred, who died in Paola, Kan., in 1887; Sarah,
now Mrs. McColough, of Bellville, Kan.; Elliot P.,
a hotel keeper of Glasgow; Adelaide, now Mrs.
Brewer, of Marshall Count}', Kan.; Willie K., of
Kearney, Neb. The mother of these children died

in 1853, and about one year after Dr. Taylor mar-
ried Miss Amy R. INLakopeace, of Jefferson County,
N. Y. Two children were born of this union —
Fred M., of Batavia, Jefferson County; Annie P.,
now Mrs. Fairchilds, of Henry County, Iowa.

When about thirty-four years of age our subject
began the study of medicine at Aurora, 111., and in
(he winter of 1851-55 iie attended a course of lec-
tures at Keokuk. (Jn his removul to this county
he began the practice of medicine at Glasgow,
where he has continued to reside engaged in active
practice until the present time, with the exception
of about fifteen months when he served .as Assistant
Surgeon of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, his commis-
sion bearing date June 7, 1864. He was mustered
out at Atlanta, Ga., in August, 1865. Politically,
Dr. Taylor is an ardent Republican, with which
party he has atfiliatcd since its organization, pre-
vious to which he was a member of the Whig party.
He is a member of Post No. 227, G. A. R., of Glas-
gow, and was active in securing the erection of the
soldiers' monument at that place. He is a member
of the Congregational Church, of which body his
wife is also a member.

f^LLIOT P. TAYLOR, Postmaster of Glas-
|fe) gow, Jefferson County, born in Aurora,
Ik^^ Kane County, 111., in 1845, is a son of
Dr. S. W. Taylor, whose sketch is given above. He
came to this county with his parents when about
eight years of age. In November, 1861, when not
quite sixteen years of age, he enlisted in Company
M, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, which regiment was as-
signed to the Western Army and was sent to Spring-
field, Mo., and thence to Helena, Ark., and then to
Vicksburg, where it remained until the .surrender
of that place. Mr. T.aylor was a participant of all
the engagements of his regiment prior to this time,
including Jackson Port, Ark., Batesville and He-
lena. After the surrender of Vicksburg, he was
with his regiment on Sherman's expedition against
Meridan, Miss., after which he went home on a vet-

660

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM.

(■ran furloiigli having re-enlisted for three years
more or during- the war. On returning Soutli tiie
regiment was engaged in several battles with For-
rest. It was then in the noted Wilson raid through
Alabama and Georgia. Mr. Taylor was mustered
out at Atlanta, Ga., in August, 1865, and dis-
charged at Davenport. He was in the service
al)0iit four years and was fortunate in neither be-
ing wounded nor taken prisoner.

On returning to this counts' Mr. Taylor engaged
in farming for a few years. In 18G7 he married
]Miss Clara Strong, a native of Jefferson County, a
daughter of John and Julia (Carpenter) Strong,

tlie former a native of Ohio, and the latter of New
York. Her father died in Glasgow in 186C, while
her mother is still living, making her home with
our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are the parents
of six children, four of whom are living: Jennie,
now Mrs. J. E. Grant; Maud; Julia, who died in
infancy; Jessie who died at fourteen years of age;
Bernice and Clifford. Mr. Taylor has taken quite
an active jjart in the political affairs of his town-
ship and has served as Assessor for six years. He
is a member of the A. R. Pierce Post. No. ■227,
Glasgow. Mrs. Taylor holds membership in the
Alethodist P^piscopal Church.

tisii-<m>-^s>'t=^ ">■

Abraham, John C 257

Abraham, W. T 200

Achesou, George 247

Adams, John 23

Aflams, Jolin Q , 39

Alston, Wilham 295

Anderson. A. P 508

Anderson , Foster (iOO

Anderson, Levi 561

Anson, Thomas ,595

Anson, William 408

Arnold, J. B 589

Arthur, Chester A 99

Atkins, W 5+1

August, John 510

Bailey, G. S., M. D 583

Baldwin, Charles 3(i8

Ball, George W 596

Ball, Smith 263

Barker, A. C 232

Barker, W. A 217

Barnes, Hiram 448

Barton, W. A 463

Baxter, M. D 601

Beck, James A 193

Beck, James S 203

Beeler, Joseph 569

Bell, George W 471

Bell, John R 329

Bell, James 536

Bell. Tliomas 316

Beswick. James, Jr.. 417

Beswick. James, Sr 465

Beswick. T. T 476

Bickford, S. M 305

Bigelow, Samuel E 370

Bishop, John 373

Black, Hon. Moses .538

Black, W.6 563

Blackmer, B. P.. 51. IJ 284

Blakeley. Joseph 516

Bloss, William R 225

Blough, H. D 584

Boies, Horace 159

Bohng.S. M 338

Booker, S. F 60S

Born, Samuel 602

Briggs, Ansel Ill

Brown, A. H 204

Brown, John L 201

Buchanan, James 75

Bull, Hon. C. E 407

Burkhart. J. G 300

Burnett, J. W 504

c

Caldwell, H.e 616

Calhoun, D. K 437

Calhoun, Newton L 428

Calhoun, V. S 442

Campbell, Bethel 291

Campbell, Hon. Edward, Jr...i40

Campbell, Joel E 404

Campbell, John P 652

Campbell, Joseph 241

Carpenter, Cyrus Clay 139

Carr, Hon. John W (104

Carr, Samuel 418

Castile, Andrew 466

Castile, Isaac 476

Ca.ssel, A. F 388

Cavin, John 342

Cheney, L. C 208

Chester. Capt. S. J 293

Chidester, W. N 621

Clapp, James W 499

Clark, James R 460

Clark, Joseph V 631

Clark, Julius L 6.58

Clarke, George D 451

Clarke, Charles S., M. D 581

Cleveland, Grover S 103

Countryman. Peter 484

Crail, Capt. B. F 330

Craine, George 444

Craine, George H 445

Crawford, J. F 178

Cretcher, M. Q 566

Crumly, A. L 176

Crumly, I. H 188

C'ulbertson , John W 333

Cummings, ,S. A 597

D

Dab Iburg, Peter 172

Danielson, F. O 414

David, Charles 268

Davidson, George W 405

Dicksim.R. M 638

Dole. J. S 278

Dougherty. R. A 648

Doughty, C. H 480

Downing, William F :M8

Drakes, Joseph 183

DroE, George A 385

DuBois, R. D 280

Duckworth. Capt. W. A 469

Duffleld. James, Sr 644

Duke, David 335

Duuwoody, William 266

Dye, Thomas H 435

Dysart, H. M 521

Eshleman . J. H 353

Everett. J. L 609

E

Edmonson, H. B 318

Edmondson, W. F 380

Edmondson, William 409

Edwards, Dr. E. S .599

Elbert, Hon. S. H 603

Elbert, John D 598

Elbert, Capt. Leroy S 615

EUmaker, Reuben .547

Ellyson, John T 186

Ely, B. F 212

Ely, Roberts 188

Farmer, Samuel C 433

Fasnacht, Samuel 314

Fatherson , George 406

Fellows, S. D 540

Fellows, W. A .556

Fellows, W. M. V. B 522

Fillmore, Millard 67

Fleming, W. B 214

Flinspach, Lawrence 590

Folker, Cyrus N 351

Ford, B. F .398

Fordyce, Dr. W 591

Fordy ce, Hon . Lewis 395

Fosnot, L. C 315

Fowler, James A 412

Frame. W. B 639

Fnish. Henry 175

Fullen, Charles D 360

Ferguson, D. W 615

G

Gage. C. W 3.16

Galliher, James A 309

Gantz, J.S 327

Gantz, Levi 224

Garfield, Jan:ies A 95

Gatlin, James 277

Gear, John H 147

Gilchrist, A 358

Gillett, Bert las

Gillett, Isaac C 174

Gillett. O. H 4,54

Gilmer, James 269

Gilmer, Robert T 336

Glover, Jonah 511

Goodin, Asa 460

Goodin, William 474

INDEX.

ttoukl,E. S 377

Oortlon , J. W ^ 578

Grant, Ulysses S 87

Graber, Joseph 565

(iraham, Joseph 410

Green. N.N 5;!0

Grej^ory, William 24'2

Grimes, James W 119

Grubb, Dr. W. F 4.5!)

Grubb, W. VV 459

Guernsey, G. S 553

H

Hajjlcr, John C 5-29

Mainline, Dr. J. B 525

llalstead, Isaac 517

Hanson, George 434

Harkness, Prof. R. A 30S

Harris,! 544

Harris, Jonathan 194

Harris, W. T 20ti

Harrison. Benjamin 107

Harrison, William Henry 51

Hastings. Will 4.iO

Hayes, Rutherford B 91

Hempstead. Stephen 115

Henn, Hon. Bernhart 2H2

Hickenbottoni, James (i07

Hidy,G. W -isi

Higley.T. F :m-1

Hill.H. C 408

Hinklo. James M *>9

Hinkle. Capt. Abram 383

Hollnian.T. L iM

Hopkirk. Hon- William 427

Hollister, Mandley (U3

Hurton. Samuel T 432

Hoskin.M 019

1 io^tetler, John :t57

Howard, E. A 339

Hull', John las

Hulfman, Burke 324

Hullman, F. B 2.S3

Hullnian, Hiatt 487

Hufstedler, W. M 378

Humbert, Isaiah 620

Humphrey, B. F 53(1

Humphrey, George 518

Huntzinger, F. B 37S

Hutehin, James T 195

Irish, J. D.

Johnson , A 337

Johnston, Benjamin 25fi

Johnson, J. A 3H7

Johnson, William H51

Johnson, W. J filO

Jones, l.D 298

Jones, W. A., M. D 482

Jones, W. C 301

Jordon, J. H r,17

Junkin.C.M 369

Junkin, W. W 299

K

Kays, Martin 573

Keck, J. A 523

Kenyon, K. B 453

Kerr, Christopher. 426

Kerr, William B 352

Ketcham, B 423

King, A 238

King, Dr. J. E 310

King, Hon. Leonard 471

King, Perry 228

Kirkwood, Samuel J 127

Kittle, D. K 303

Klise, George W7

Kna]3p, Hon. J. C (>47

Koons, Dillen 625

Kramer, J. A 489

Labagh,r. 1 491

I^amson. Ward <>55

Landes, John H 192

Larrabee, William 1.55

Letller, James 425

Leggett, Hon. C. D 305

Leggett, Richard H 2ss

Lewis, Z.T.. 3.12

Lincoln , Abraham 79

Locke, John 438

Lowe, Ralph P 123

Lyon, Rev. F. F 312

Jackson, Andrew 43

Jelfei-sou, Thomas 27

Johnson, Andrew 83

M

Madison, James 31

Maddix, J. T 586

Manning, Edwin 575

Marsan, Peter 6:i5

Mason, Eugene .501

Mason, Hon. W. E (>51

McBeth, C'airt. W 2.55

McClain, Albert T 462

McCracken. William H 274

McCrackin, William 337

McCrary . Hon. A. H 319

Mct'rary , Hon. G. W Hlo

Mct'rary , Maj. J. C 3;jO

McCrary. Rev. John 619

McDonald, A .560

McDonald, C 629

McElroy, C. M 276

McGuire, Charles ;i54

McKee. Greer 627

McKemey, J. A 243

McKemey, Jacob S 293

McLean, Andrew A 464

McMillen , John 374

McReynolds, P. A .579

McSurely, Miles 246

McWhirter, Samuel 630

Mealey , Thomas S 253

Meek, Isaiah 209

Meek, L. C 287

Meek.R.E .520

Meek. Robert 219

Meek, William 209

Mendenhall, Daniel 222

Mendenhall, Rev. Lewis 239

Merrill, Samuel 135

Messenger, Isaiah 267

Miller, Henry C 445

Mitciiell, Hon. H. B 181

Mohr, Henry 376

Mohr, W.H 360

Monroe, James .35

Moore. Robert 613

Moorman, Hon. Thomas 447

Morris, Samuel M Ml

Morse, James 543

Morton, J. N 2.58

Mosher, Charles E 542

Moms, C. L .557

Mowcry, F. P 411

Myers, L.G .501

Myers, Richard .527

Myers, S. A 577

Myers, S. H 51.-,

N

Nady, X 5,55

Neal, Uriel 475

Negus, Hon. Charles 611

Nelson, W. W., M. D 365

Newbold, Joshua G 143

Noble, A.C 399

Noble, Hon. C. E 273

Noble, John, 274

Norris. J. N., M. D 5... 80

NorvelKE. R .500

Packwood, Samnel 5o;i

Park, J. R

Parker, W. R .520

Parsons. Baldon 493

Pennington, B 622

Pennington, George 535

Perkins, J. F 213

Peterson, John G 416

Pettitt,D. C 481

Pickard , Henry 20-t

Pierce, B. D 302

Pierce, Franklin ~!

Pleasants, Porter 413

Polk,JamesK 59

Prall, Robert 515

Prewitt, A. T 218

Pumphrey, W. F 175

R

Raines, Rev. John A 202

Raney, H. C 366

Reed, Dr. Charles 210

Rentro, Rev. T. A 6.50

Rice, Hon. J. W 429

Ricksher, Joseph 601

Kider, Capt. Daniel 400

Rider, T.M 386

Risk.C. C 403

Roberts, Joseph P 177

Robinson. Dr. Sawyer .509

Robinson .John A 512

Kobin.son. J. B 4.52

Rockwell, Ed H .599

Rockwell, F. W 618

Ross, John 407

Ross, Rev. S.B 431

Roth, Joseph. . . : 397

Rowland, J. D .534

Rowland, Robert R .507

Howland , S. P 62il

Rowley, J. W 480

Rupp, John 576

Russell, W 508

Salts. Samuel 297

Schmidtlcin , George 396

Schwartz, Abraham 296

Semon, Henry 245

Shatter, Hiram Q 506

Sherman, Buren R 151

Simmons, E. F 246

Simmons, Hon. W^. L. S 317

Simmons, John 207

Simon , Henry

Si ppel , Charles P 220

Skinner, E.H.... : 538

Slagle, C. W 636

Sloan, Hon. Robert 199

Sloan, Judge Joshua S 479

Smith, Bros 331

Smith, D 634

Smith, EH 505

Smith, H.C ;i87

Smith. J. N 526

Smith, Rev. D. C 332

Smith, Thomas R 537

Smith, V. V: . .':'. 593

Smithburg. G. A 519

Snider, George 236

INDEX.

Snider, J. T -tSS

Snook, Dr. Calvin 315

Snook, John 281

Specs, J. B., M. D 562

Spiehnan, John 375

Spielnian, John A 533

Spencer, George H 349

Staats, John P 227

Stanford, A 315

Stevens. John R 490

Stever, D. H., M. D : ... .226

Stewart, John B 591

Stewart , J. W 449

Stone, William M 131

Stonebraker, Andrew 592

Stoner, R. J 452

Stong, Jacob 488

Stubbs, Hon. D. P ,571

Stubbs, O. D 501

Sturdivant, Dr. R. J .328

Summers, Dr. L. F 4S6

Tade, Hon. William A 441

Taylor, E.P 659

Taylor, Dr. S. W («9

Taylor, Zachary 63

Templeton, D. W 221

Ten Eyck.G. K 446

Tliompson, CM 371

Thompson, Col. James 649

Thorne, J. C 200

Thrash. Samuel 567

Tilford, J.T (»4

Tilson, Thomas K 184

Tobias, Michael B 594

Trabert, Lewis 456

Tulley, Thomas 492

Twombly, Capt. V. P 393

Tyler, John .55

V

Vale, Hon.B. R

Vale, Hon. J. G ...
Van Buren, Martin .

..359
...574
.. 47

Van Nostrand, Clark.
Vincent, S.E

.473
.424

w

Walgreen, August .3.55

Walker, C. C 240

Walker, Hon. Wesley 173

Waller, J. K (154

Walmer, Daniel 508

Walmer, Jacob 415

Waltz, G. B 485

Warren, Joseph 657

Washington, George 19

Welch, John 498

Wells, A. T 286

Wells, George A 370

VVhitten, John 626

Wilcoxon, W. A 379

Wilkin , John .548

Wilkins.J. E 184

Wilkins, L. L 615

VVilliauis, .John 270

Williamson, Hon. John 260

Williamson, Joseph 455

Wilson, Hon. James F 169

Wilson. James F., Jr 659

Wilson, Rollin J 292

Woods, A. H 250

Woods, Mrs. Ellis 2:«

Woods, P. N., M. D 223

Woodside, W. A 546

Work, Samuel 389

Wright, Hon. G. F 614

Wright, Hon. G. G .322

Young, Joseph.

.249

Zihlman, Lukas 430

vVdams, John 22

Adams, John Q 38

Arnold, J. B 588

Arnold, Mrs. Louisa 588

.\rthur, Chester A 98

Ball, Smith 262

Gall. Mrs. Rebecca 262

Barker, W. A 216

Boies, Horace 158

Briggs, Ansel 110

Buchanan, James 74

Bull, Hon. C. E 496

Campbell, Bethel 290

Carpenter, CjTUs Clay 138

Cleveland, S. Grover 102

Duckworth, Capt. W. A 468

Fillmore, Millard 66

Galliher, James A 3CS

(iantz, J. S 326

Garfield, J. A 94

Grant, U.S 86

Grubb, Dr. W. F 458

Guernsey, Dr. G. S 5.50

Guernsey, Mrs. G. S 551

Gear, John H 14('

Grimes, James W 118

Harrison, Benjamin 106

Harrison, W. H 50

Hayes, R. B 90

Hempstead, Stephen 114

Hickenbottom, James 606

Hinkle, Capt. A 382

Hollister, Mandley 612

Jackson, Andrew 42

Jefferson, Thomas 26

.Johnson, Andrew 82

Ketcham, Benjamin 420

Ketcham, Mrs. Benjamin 421

Kirkwood, Samuel J 126

Koons, Dillen 641

Koons, Mrs. Jemima 624

Larrabee, William 1.54

Lincoln , Abraham 78

Lowe, Ralph P 122

Madison, James 30

Mealey, Thomas S : 2.52

Merrill, .Samuel 134

Mitchell, Hon. H. B 180

Monroe, James 34

Nelson, Dr. W. W 362

Nelson, Mrs. W. W 363

Newbo Id, Joshua G 142

Noble, Hon. C. E 272

Pierce, Franklin 70

Polk, J K .58

Prall, Robert 514

Risk, C. C 402

Sherman, Buren R 1.50

Sloan, Hon. J. S 478

Sloan, Robert 198

Spielman, J. A 532

Stanford, A :M4

Stanford, Mrs. Nancy :U4

Stone, William M 1.30

Stubbs, Hon. D. P 570

Tade, Hon. W. A 440

Taylor, Zachary 62

Twombley , Capt. V. P 392

Tyler. John 54

Van Buren, Martin 46

WashinL;Ii.n. George 18

Wil.si. II. .James F 168

Woods, Mrs. Ellis 2:M

cC